QUETTA: Kissan Ittehad Pakistan (KIP) Chairman Khalid Hussain Bathh while criticising the provincial government said that despite its promises, it has failed to provide funds to the farmers of Nasirabad Division—the only green belt of the province— for converting agricultural tube wells to solar energy.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he said that due to disconnection of electricity supply, tube wells have become non-functional, crops are drying up, and farmers are suffering huge financial losses.

He said that although funds for solarisation had been promised to farmers, the approved amount has not been released so far.

Before the payments were made, electricity connections were cut, and supply was shifted from three-phase to two-phase. As a result, tube wells remain shut, and with no water flowing in Rabi Canal, agriculture, livestock, and local communities are badly suffering,“ he said.

The KIP chairman said that crops were destroyed due to the unavailability of irrigation water, and even drinking water is becoming scarce. Farmers, on the assurance of the provincial irrigation minister, had sown crops, but the seeds went to waste due to water shortage.

“No developmental initiatives, such as skill development centres, agricultural workshops, or projects for women farmers—who work alongside men in the fields—have been launched for their capacity building,” Mr Bathh said, urging the government to announce a solar energy programme for farmers in Rabi Canal, Nari, and Bolan areas who currently rely on diesel generators for irrigation.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2025