PESHAWAR, Nov 3: The Frontier government has identified seven sites in Dera Ismail Khan district and its adjacent areas to develop flood water storage schemes to bring vast cultivable land under irrigation.

Official sources said that about 250km of farm-to-market road would also be constructed to promote agriculture sector.

Apart from developing small water storage schemes at Tank Zam and Jaudwan Zam, some five more sites have also been identified in the district to use flood water for irrigating cultivable land.

Tenders for the execution of the Tank Zam and Jaudwan Zam dams, the two irrigation projects involving multi-million rupees investment, have recently been invited from the intending private parties to develop flood water storage schemes in the areas lacking water for irrigation purposes, said the sources.

Funds for the both projects will be provided under the annual development programme of the province and will form part of the major investment being made in Dera Ismail Khan district to bring the land under irrigation.

According to provincial government’s documents available with Dawn , Dera Ismail Khan district will receive Rs1.5-Rs2 billion investment in line with the numerous development initiatives of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal-led NWFP government recently undertaken in the home district of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

In addition to the irrigation sector, considerable amount is scheduled to be invested in the education, road and health sectors to improve social services in the area forming part of the under-developed southern belt of the NWFP close to Afghanistan’s border.

Dera Ismail Khan is one of the two regions, other being Dir upper and Dir lower districts, which would get major portion of the development funds under the NWFP’s current financial year’s Annual Develop Programme.

Rejecting the opposition parties’ accusation, Maulana Lutfur Rehman, younger brother of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is spearheading the provincial government’s development initiatives in Dera Ismail Khan district, said the move was meant to bring the much-neglected part of the province at par with the other developed regions and use its natural resources for creating agriculture and business activities in the district.