LAHORE, Jan 27: The government habit of creating more institutions to cover the inefficiency of parent institutions has damaged the farming sector beyond redemption, claim representatives of farmers’ bodies.

Briefing the Agriculture Journalists Association (AJA) on Friday on water distribution problems, they said same confusion had crept into the irrigation department as well.

“When it also failed to meet farmers’ expectations, the government created a parallel set-up called the Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority (PIDA).

According to them, no-one knew where the jurisdiction of the irrigation department ended and from where the PIDA’s role started. “How come a department, which is in transition, can serve the community?” they asked. “The transition has only worsened its problems of inefficiency, corruption and incompetence.”

One proof of this inefficiency, said Ibrahim Mughal of AgriForum, was farmers’ increasing dependence on tubewells.

Substantiating his point of view, Mughal said in 1999 canals used to irrigate 9.7 million acres and tubewells 4.2 million acres in Punjab. In 2004-05, dependence on tubewells increased by a staggering 62 per cent - from 4.2 million acres in 1999 to 7 million in 2004-05. The canal irrigation went down from 9.7 million in 1999 to 7.9 million - a drop of 20 per cent. “It shows how the department or its improved version is serving farmers and the farming.”

Muhammad Idrees of the Farmers Associates Pakistan (FAP) said that people all over the world sought help from research and development (R&D) when a department failed. “Ours is the only department which borrows a programme from abroad and imposes it here, in complete disregard to local conditions. The result is total confusion among farmers about the role of both irrigation department and PIDA.”

He insisted that the department was neither seeking any help from local research nor ready to develop its own R&D department.

Amin Chattha of Aiwan-i-Zarat was of the opinion that the department had failed to take water to tale-ends despite repeated claims and planning. He claimed that 80 per cent of outlets (mogas) in the province had rigged design. “They have been rigged in favour of influential farmers while the department is helpless.”

Mr Hamid Malhi of the Punjab Water Council claimed that aimless planning had wasted national resources when it came to water distribution. Quoting example of lining of watercourses, he said that it would waste Rs66 billion and serve no purpose. Basically, he said, all such plannings were aimed at distractions from the need of a dam.

He said a large number of complaints about wrongdoings in the lining of watercourses were being ignored.

Sardar Zafar Husain Khan of the Kissan Board Pakistan said that the government should do away with experimentation in the irrigation department and return to old system that had served the farmers for over 100 years. There were some problems in that system too but they could be solved. “The farmers are still not educated enough to handle sensitive issues like water distribution. Such an experimentation may entail a very heavy social cost in shape of deteriorating law and order,” he warned.