The farmers said that they would protest in front of the Irrigation Department central office if the canal was not reopened. STOCK IMAGE
Dozens of farmers staged a protest demonstration on Monday against the closure of Rakh Branch Canal.
The farmers, residents of Chak 47-RB, said that their crops were being affected by a lack of water.
Azam Habib, one of the protesting farmers, said: “The canal was closed for annual maintenance on January 13. Irrigation officers told us that water would be released in the canal on January 31. However, this did not happen. We contacted the Irrigation Department, who told us that the canal would be reopened on February 28. The date also passed without any water being released in the canal.”
The farmers said that they would protest in front of the Irrigation Department central office if the canal was not reopened. Executive engineer Abdul Ghafoor said that the canal would reopen on March 6. “The closure schedule was extended due to maintenance work,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2015.
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