HARIPUR, Jan 12: The on-going long dry spell has put the wheat yield target fixed by the agriculture department for Haripur district in jeopardy, informed sources told Dawn here on Friday.

The situation has also affected the water resources badly, forcing the dam authorities to slash the quantity of irrigation water.

The Mangla Dam administration, sources said, has completely stopped the water supply as its level has dropped below the dead target while the supply from Khanpur Dam has also been reportedly suspended owing to dry weather.

The 2001-2 yield target for wheat, considered to be the second biggest cash crop after vegetables in the district, sown on an area of 37,019 acres, has been set at 3,702 tonnes.

However, owing to the drought in the area, the per-acre yield would remain much below the fixed target, sources said.

According to the information collected from Haripur-based agriculture department and independent sources, as the rain-fed area, where the wheat is usually cultivated in Haripur district, constitutes over 70 per cent as compared to some 30 per cent irrigated area, the dry spell has made adverse effect on the wheat crop.

“I don’t think we can achieve even half of the 50 per cent of the fixed target of wheat because of the dry spell in the area,” said an agriculture scientist on the condition of anonymity.

He claimed that if the situation remained unchanged the crop might completely be destroyed.

He was of the view that at this stage the wheat needed to be given three waters but the area did not receive a single rainfall since September last, due to which the plants were undersized and prone to destruction.

To a question, he said the district received only 27mm of rain in September last against the previous years’ 46mm.

He also held the poor irrigation system in the district responsible for the present situation. Except for canal system, he added, there was no other alternative irrigation system for Haripur.

He stressed the need for irrigation tubewells in the rain-fed areas, and recommended a moisture conservation strategy, besides, line-sowing of seeds, use of organic matter for increasing the fertility ratio of the land and avoidance of unnecessary traditional watering of crops.