PESHAWAR: Residents of various localities, including Tehkal and Daudzai, have expressed concern over the closure of Daudzai irrigation canal for the last one year and urged the officials of irrigation department to release the water within seven days otherwise the farmers would start protest demonstrations.

Talking to mediapersons here on Thursday, Tehkal nazim Gohar Zaman and councillor Umer Hayat said that the irrigation department had stopped irrigation water for the past one year on the pretext of reconstruction of canals, but the development work could not be completed as yet.

The delay in completion of canals, they said, had caused serious problems for the farmers in Daudzai, Chranda and Tehkal areas and despite repeated demands the problem could not be resolved.

They said that the shortage of irrigation water had badly affected various crops, while most of the agricultural land had become barren.

The elected representatives said that they would start protest demonstrations as the relevant officials were not ready to sort out the matter.

They said that the reconstruction work on the canals was very slow.

They called for speedy completion of the project in order to provide relief to the farmers.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2018