VEHARI, Feb 27: The local wheat growers have been facing water shortage due to the unavailability of canal water, rapid depletion of underground water table and commercial power tariff on tubewells during the current rabi crop.

Together with the low returns for wheat, sugar cane and cotton, rates of pesticides have gone up to the troubles of the growers.

Most of the 2,000 tubewells installed in the district are not being used due to rapid decrease in the underground water level. Some experts say the level dropped five to eight feet during the last year while several tubewell owners got electricity disconnected due to hike in tariff.

At present, all the canals are lying dry. The local agriculture department experts recommend wheat crop watering thrice which has become difficult for growers.

During the Punjab governor’s visit in 2001, district Nazim Mumtaz Khan Khichi said the governor had approved a plan to meet water shortage. According to the plan, the growers were to get power connection for tubewells at a payment of only 25 per cent of the total amount of the demand notice. However, the plan is yet to be materialized.

An agriculture expert claimed the sub-soil water level was decreasing by five to eight per cent annually in the agricultural areas due to the increasing needs of population, waste of irrigation water and dependence on tubewell for irrigation purposes.

Growers, including Haji Tufail Warriach, Sardar Muhammad Chaudhry and Rai Nawaz Kharal, told Dawn on Monday that a huge amount of irrigation water was being wasted due to kutcha water courses and poorly levelled fields as over 50 per cent water course in the district was not cemented or bricklined. The cemented water courses could save over 25 per cent of water wastage which could enhance the total yield of crops by ensuring availability of water, they added.

In the hour of water crisis, they said, it was the responsibility of the government to improve water management and get all the water courses cemented.

They complained the government was not providing incentives to the growers. They also resented that several small growers had been arrested by the revenue department during recovery drive in various parts of the district.

They alleged the big defaulters like Khichies, Daultanas, Khakwanis, Khans and Bhabas had been given a free hand by the revenue department.

The growers urged the government to reduce power tariff enabling them to install new tubewells.