KOHAT: Water level in the rain-fed lakes has come down to a dead level due to persisting drought, which has endangered the maize crop and vegetables.

Though rains fortnight ago had brought up the water to some extent, it was not enough to reach the spillway and flow into the irrigation canals.

The situation could be gauged from the fact that a month ago a jeep rally was held in the Tanda Lake, which has now dried up.

A restaurant owner told this scribe that hundreds of fish which had gathered in a small pool in the dam were caught by the contractor and the local people.

Councillor demands relief package for farmers

When contacted, agriculture officer Mehfooz Elahi said that the people had sowed onion, ladyfinger, salad, potato, tomato, cucumber, cabbage, etc and if it did not rain in a week the seeds would perish.

He termed it a natural calamity where nothing could be done.

However, in Dhoda area the ladyfinger and tomato crops were safe where the fields were irrigated from the local springs.

The affected areas include near the Rawalpindi Road irrigated by Gandiali Dam, huge parts of Kohat linked to Tanda Dam and Darmalak Dam on Bannu Road.

The wheat crop was faced with a similar situation last year when there were no rains for months and the seeds sowed by the farmers in the hope of rains had decomposed underground. But at last rains started in January and a little of crop was saved.

The peanut growers in Lachi tehsil, Shakardarra and other areas remain unscathed which grow underground by sucking meters deep mist.

Mian Shah Raza, the chairman of standing committee on agriculture in the district council, said that the maize crop was suitable for land in areas near Hangu Road, which were comparatively cold due to their proximity to Orakzai Agency.

He regretted that flooding was a recurring phenomenon, but not a single protective dam had been built there though the MPs had received huge funds during the last four years as royalty of oil and gas.

He demanded of the government to announce a relief package for farmers who were being affected for the second time due to shortage of water and deprived of their sole source of livelihood.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2017