HAIRPUR April 23: Suspension of irrigation water supply due to a fall in the level of Khanpur dam reservoir has badly hit the agriculture system in two union councils of Khanpur.

Official sources told Dawn that there had been a considerable decrease in the daily inflow of water due to which storage level of the reservoir had dropped to 1923.4 ft against the dead level of 1910 ft and the dam administration had been forced to suspend supply of irrigation water to Panjkatha area.

“We have to meet Islamabad’s demand of drinking water under the rules,” said an official of the dam. The sources apprehended that the quantity of the water being supplied to Islamabad could also be affected if dry weather persisted.

Meanwhile the suspension of water to over 20 villages of union councils Tofkian and Najafpur had created problems for the people as majority them uses the dam water for irrigation as well as drinking purposes.

“Our lands are becoming barren and cattle dying of thirst, naib nazim union council Tofkian Abdul Razzaq said, adding that the dam was built on their precious landforms and graves of their ancestors, but now they were being denied water from it.

He said that if the situation remained unchanged people of the area would launch protest against dam authorities. He suggested that if the water table had dropped due to dry weather the dam administration should equally distribute water between Islamabad and Khanpur.