KHYBER: Residents of Bara held a protest demonstration on Wednesday against the continuous closure of irrigation canals, affecting their crops.

Organised by Awami Inqilabi League, the protesters accused the irrigation department officials of ignoring their requests to release water in the channels from the Spera Dam as the canals’ closure was adversely affecting their standing crops.

They said that the canal closure had also caused acute shortage of drinking water as residents in a number of localities in Sipah and Akkakhel were using canal water for drinking and domestic use.

They threatened to block the Frontier Road for an indefinite time if the officials concerned failed to release water in the canals in a week.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2024