LAHORE, Nov 11: The Punjab will not provide water for sowing of wheat crop to fields falling in the non-perennial canals' command area because of persistent drought in the country , according to a decision taken by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

The decision was taken by the chief minister at a meeting on Thursday after the matter was referred to him on Oct 27 when the irrigation and agriculture departments failed to reach consensus.

During the meeting, the agriculture department favoured second watering to the non-perennial canal areas with a hope that subsequent rains in winter could improve the water situation later this year. It insisted that water must be provided for sowing. "Once farmers have sown wheat, rains in future can help save the crop. But if they have not sown the crop, any later-stage improvement in the water situation will be of no value to the farmers."

The irrigation department, on the other hand, had its own calculations. It feared that if there were no rains, the water shortage would threaten the wheat crop in the entire province and raise the present shortage of 48 per cent to 56 per cent. By diverting water to perennial areas, which have the first right to get water because of brackish sub-soil water, the province would at least save crop in those areas.

The stoppage of water to the non-perennial canals, irrigating sweet water zone, would rise the cost of crop because farmers had to depend entirely on tubewells, but they could still pump water out and save the crop - an option unavailable to southern areas of the province, it argued.

Both departments held a joint meeting on Oct 27 to decide whether the present situation allowed releasing water to the non-perennial canals at the cost of perennial ones for the Rabi sowing. The issue became all the more important when the agriculture department exposed its sowing target on an additional 200,000 acres to meet the national target of bringing more area under wheat cultivation.

According to an opinion, water should be released to non-perennial canals first as had been the tradition so far. The irrigation department stated that the Rabi crop needed an overall 18.2 MAF water in the province against the availability of only 10 MAF. The water shortage, it said, was already as high as 48 per cent and if non-perennial canals were fed, this would rise to 56 per cent and another 1.75 MAF water would be required. And the paucity in canals in the Mangla command area would rise from 48 per cent to 53 per cent and in Tarbela command areas from 48 per cent to 61 per cent.

About 50 per cent of the wheat area in the Punjab is irrigated through perennial canals and another 32 per cent through non-perennial. The situation aggravated after the Punjab government decided to bring more area under wheat cultivation this year.