SWABI: Farmers here on Friday complained that they’re struggling to irrigate their crops due to the unavailability of water.

They blamed the issue on a long delay in the repair of the major Gohati Canal, which supplies water to small canals.

The growers said the canal received water from the Upper Swat water supply system and supplied it to the canals for irrigation in the district.

They as well as leaders of Kisan Board and Kasthkar Coordination Council told Dawn that they had repeatedly requested irrigation officials for repairing the canal, but to no avail.

KCC central general secretary Liaqat Yousafzai said the maize crop, which had been cultivated on thousands of acres of land, badly needed water but the lack of water had perturbed farmers.

He said apart from maize crop, sugarcane and vegetable farms also needed water.

KP president Khalid Khan said the maize crop, which was widely grown in the district, required water.

He warned the unavailability of water would drastically reduce crop yields, causing huge losses for growers.

An irrigation official told Dawn that the repair of the Gohati Canal was under way and would be completed soon.

He said water from the canal would be released for irrigating crops and vegetables in the next few days.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2024