MARDAN, Feb 3: Farmers on Saturday demanded of the irrigation department to release water immediately and said that shortage of water would affect their cash crops.

Senior vice-president of the NWFP chapter of the Anjuman Kashtkaran Naimat Shah Roghani blamed the shortage on the delay in repairing of the Machi branch of the Upper Swat Canal.

He said that any further delay in the release of irrigation water in canals would damage standing crops, including cane and wheat. He criticised the provincial irrigation minister and said that farmers had informed the provincial irrigation minister to direct the authorities concerned to accelerate the pace of repair work but no action had been taken so far.

He warned if water was not released by next week in Mardan, the growers would stage protests against the irrigation department. He appealed to the CM to order the irrigation department to complete maintenance work.