HARIPUR, May 8: The rising water level in Tarbela lake has destroyed standing wheat crop in Khalabat, according to social worker Mohammad Irshad. “The off-season increase in water level has inundated the reserved land in several villages along the banks of Tarbela lake, damaging standing wheat crop and depriving farmers of a large quantity of foodgrain,” he saidhere on Sunday.

Wapda has reserved the land in villages of Khalabat, Kandal, Padhana, Baseera, Daari, Phuldhar and Dragri for accumulating required amount of water in the lake and then supplying it to the provinces on Irsa’s demand.

According to Mr Irshad, about 16,000 acres of land is cultivated each year by the farmers who got land on lease. The owners, he said, either charged a farmer Rs500 per kanal or got a share in the produce.

“We sow wheat every year and harvest the crop during April and May before the water level in the lake rises,” he said, adding that the heavy flow of water in the lake this year had destroyed the standing crop.