NAROWAL: Wheat crop on 748 acres was reduced to ashes in 51 incidents of fire, causing a loss of about Rs39 million to farmers during the last 15 days in the district.

Rescue 1122 claimed that fire erupted in wheat fields of 51 villages, including Sahari, Kirtarpur, Domala, Khanowal, Bara Manga, Loban Pully, Hasanpur and Viram Zafarwal. Rescuers controlled the fire and saved Rs125m worth of crops.

Reports said during the harvest in Domala village, about 16 km away from Narowal, a fire broke out in the field, reducing crop on 25 acres and a harvest machine to ashes.

In another incident, a passer-by threw his cigarette in a field near Bara Manga village in the vicinity of Shakargarh as a result 40 acres of crop burnt. In another incident, power wires fell on the wheat fields due to windstorm, causing damage to crop on 35 acre land in Loban Pully village on Narowal-Muridke Road.

Farmers Muhammad Aslam and Muhammad Shabbir were of the view it was very rare that someone set someone’s crop on fire due to enmity.

“Fire breaks out due to throwing of cigarette, strong wind, fall of electricity wires, short circuiting and putting chaff on fire,” Shabbir said.

Another farmer, Muhammad Hanif, said the Narowal district administration would ban burning of chaff after harvest in the past but now there is no such restriction. He said people set chaff on fire which engulfs their crop as well.

More than 18,000 acres of wheat crop in 20 villages of Tehsil Shakargarh was damaged by rains in February.

Farmers have demanded that the chief minister grant financial assistance to them so that they could sow new crop.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2019