Departing March: Wet spell brings smiles on farmers’ faces

Rain will bring higher yield; clogged drains flood city streets.

RAWALPINDI:

The  rains in the recent weeks augur well for the farmers of the arid lands in Rawalpindi district who now are hoping a higher yield this year.

“The current rain is a blessing as it is the only source to fulfill irrigation needs,” said Raja Muhammad Aslam, a farmer hailing from the Adiala Road.

The current spell, according to the Pakistan Meteorrology Deaprtment, will come to an end on Tuesday morning.

District Agriculture Officer Dr Arif said rain at this stage is as much important as fertilisers for the crops. He said in case of a hailstorm, the whole labour of farmers may go waste otherwise the yield is expected to be higher than usual.

“Out of 320,000 acres of cultivable land of Rawalpindi, only 5,000 acres are irrigated through dam water while the rest is dependent on rain,” he said.

On the other hand, the rain caused hardships for residents of the garrison city in low laying localities. Because of the poor drainage system the rainwater entered houses in various areas. Residents had to wade through the flooded roads and overflowing streets.

In Kirtarpura, Rawal Road, Chah Sultan, Rahimabad, Moti Mahal, Pirwadhai, Barfkhana, Joseph Colony, and other localities in city’s rural areas, the citizens were witnessed draining out water from their houses and opening blocked sewerage lines.

They slammed the civic agency for not performing its duty. “It seems authorities are least-bothered about the situation,” said Hashim Ahmad.

Water level in Nullah Leh and its tributaries also increased.

Till Monday evening, the city had received 30 millimetre of rain. Incessant rain forced people to remain indoors and attendance in offices remained thin.

In some localities like Gunjmandi, Westridge and Dhok Hassu residents faced low gas pressure after the temperature fell.

“Gas outages and low pressure is common occurrence in such situations and we keep our gas cylinders full,” said Sultan Khan, a resident of Dhok Hassu.

Rawal Dam Sub Divisional Officer Rana Bilal said current level of water in the dam is at 1751 foot.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2014.