LAHORE: Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi formally inaugurated a campaign on Tuesday for desilting over 17,000-km canals in the province, with various quarters commending the activity as pro-farming and farmer-friendly.

In a ceremonial act, the chief minister operated a crane and used a hoe to loosen and remove silt from the bed of Lahore Canal. This desiltation campaign has been initiated after almost a decade.

The first phase of the campaign will continue until Jan 31, with the second phase involving the repair of embankments of 5,000-km-long canals over two months.

This effort aims to make water available to an additional 0.3 to 0.4 million acres of land.

Mr Naqvi stated that the services of LIMS have been enlisted for round-the-clock monitoring of the desiltation drive through satellite images. The concerned staff, commissioners, and deputy commissioners have received training for this purpose. He mentioned that Nespak would also monitor the work as a third party.

Addressing concerns about drainage water being mixed in the Lahore Canal at some points, Mr Naqvi announced the formation of a committee comprising Wasa managing director and the deputy commissioner to investigate the matter. He appealed to citizens to avoid polluting the canal, emphasizing that the government cannot address all issues alone.

Tehreek-i-Istaqlal President Rehmat Khan Wardag expressed appreciation for Mr Naqvi’s initiative in launching the desiltation campaign.

He said desiltation on such a large scale had not been undertaken for a long time, the last instance being during the Musharraf regime.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2024