PESHAWAR, June 3: The NWFP government has allocated about Rs3.6 billion for the construction of 20 small dams in the next financial budget, says provincial minister for irrigation Hafiz Akhtar Ali.

He was speaking at a press conference here on Saturday.

He said that feasibility study of Tank-Zaam dam had been completed while work on Palai, Sanam and Kundal dams would start this year.

The work on other projects in Chitral, Malakand and other districts is going on, he said.

Highlighting projects initiated by the department in the past three years, the minister said 40 ongoing schemes would be completed soon, bringing 4.55 million acres of land under cultivation, adding that some 25 new irrigation schemes would be launched in the new fiscal year.

Mr Ali said that the potential cultivable area was around 18.414 million acres but only 35 per cent was utilised.

The government, he said, was trying to bring 4.273 million acres of land under cultivation, the minister told press.

The minister said that the government had made efforts to improve the canal system besides allocating funds for installing more tube-wells in the ADP (2005-2006). The government, the minister said, had allocated Rs70.848 million for constructing protection against floods in the 2005-006 financial year.

He said that the government had completed a feasibility study for the construction of small dams in the province, adding that work on some 20 major irrigation schemes was ongoing under the National Drainage programme.