TOBA TEK SINGH, March 9: The irrigation department will shortly start a project to solve water shortage problem in six districts of the central Punjab.

This was stated by Dr Nasir Ahmad while talking to Dawn here on Saturday. Dr Nisar is a member of the water allocation committee of the lower Chenab circle (west) irrigation system.

The Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority (PIDA) had approved the project some years ago for Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Faisalabad, Hafizabad, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura districts. The World Bank and other donor agencies had offered to donate Rs16 billion. Under the three-year project, the canals of both lower Chenab circles (west and east) were to be remodelled. It was however shelved.

The chief engineer of irrigation department’s Faisalabad wing informed the participants in a recent meeting that for the completion of project’s first phase, the department has received Rs600 million.

Dr Nasir said that the Britishers had planned that the lower Chenab irrigation system would irrigate 2.8 million acres. With the passage of time, the land under cultivation increased up to 3.7 million acres. This has resulted in irrigation water shortage in the six districts. Another 800,000 acres has been made cultivable but could not be irrigated from the present irrigation system. This necessitated remodelling, widening and replacement of the heads of these canals, minors, distributaries and water courses of east and west circles.

The system will provide sufficient irrigation water for 4.5 million acres in these six districts.

Dr Nisar, who is also a member of the Punjab Water Council, said that out of the Rs16 billion aid, Rs5.5 billion would be spent on lower Chenab west, Rs4.4 billion on east circles and Rs6 billion on the redesigning and construction of Khani headworks in different phases.

ELECTED: The four candidates of the Nazim group were elected as members of the district public safety commission on Saturday.