TOBA TEK SINGH, April 6: Farmers of over 50 villages of Khikha and Chuttiana will stage a protest rally against the irrigation water shortage at the district headquarters on April 13.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the representatives of farmers held on Saturday at Chak 333-GB with former MPA Mian Muhammad Rafiq in the chair.

The meeting passed a resolution which said the water shortage could only be addressed if the water allowance was increased from 2.46 cusecs per 1,000 acres to 5 in the district.

Pakistan Kissan Committee central president Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad and representatives of farmers belonging to different areas said their crops had been destroyed due to the brackish underground water.

They said though the canals in their areas were opened a couple of days ago, the irrigation department officials had decided to close the Gogera Branch Canal from April 16.

As compared to previous years, the per acre yield of wheat crop had decreased manifold while the orchards of “kinno” had also been destroyed, they said.

Farmers also criticized elected representatives of the district council for failing to give attention to the water shortage problem.

They said villages situated on the minor canals of Khikha, Shorkot, Dabanwala and Akalwala were forced to bring drinking water from far-flung Jhang district villages on tractor trollies. Those using subsoil water for drinking were suffering from various intestine and abdominal diseases, they claimed.

Leaders of growers said their struggle was purely non-political and was aimed at resolving problems faced by the cultivators.

The meeting passed another resolution which condemned the Public Health Engineering Department for sending inflated water supply bills to farmers.

The meeting formed an action committee comprising members including, Mian Muhammad Rafiq (president) and Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad (chairman).