SAHIWAL: Thousands of farmers are facing water shortage due to the closure of the 9/L canal caused by delays in the completion of repair work on a sewage line, Dawn has learnt.

Officials of the irrigation department said that the canal had been closed for the past five weeks on the request of the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement and Investment Programme (PICIIP), which requested the closure to fix a leakage in the newly-laid sewage line beneath the canal.

The leakage, reported on December 13, allegedly occurred due to poor construction and caused a breach in the canal endangering two neighbouring colonies.

PICIIP District Manager Asjad Khan claimed that the repair work had been completed and the remaining work was now the responsibility of the irrigation department. However, Irrigation Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC) XEN Muhammad Talha rejected the claim and said that the repair work was still incomplete.

It was closed down to fix a leakage in newly-laid sewage line

He said that the canal could not be reopened as water was still leaking through the newly-constructed sewage line. He claimed that the PICIIP engineers needed another 15 days to complete the project.

Kisan Tehreek Pakistan Central President Zahid Farooq said that water breaching the canal remains a continuous threat for the residents of Manzoor Colony, Muhammad Pura, Agha Bashir Town along with the agriculture land near the 9/L canal around Sahiwal city. He claimed the threat loomed because of the poor quality work done by the PICIIP in Sahiwal.

As per reports, Commissioner Dr Asif Tufail visited the site a week ago following repeated complaints from growers.

He directed the contractors and senior PICIIP officials to expedite the work and ensure quality standards. The commissioner gave a five-day deadline, however, the project was yet to be completed.

The canal irrigates approximately 160,000 acres of agricultural land, mostly in Sahiwal and Chichawatni tehsils. Its prolonged closure has severely affected the farming community, particularly wheat and potato growers who rely heavily on the canal water.

Mr Zahid told Dawn that farmers in Iqbal Nagar, Harappa, Sahiwal, and Chichawatni were distressed due to the unavailability of water.

He warned that if the PICIIP failed to complete the work before December 26, farmers would have to face further hardships as the warabandi (rotational water distribution) of the LBDC canal was scheduled to begin.

PICIIP is currently executing a civic improvement project worth Rs18 billion with the financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Sahiwal city. However, public complaints persist over poor quality and delays in sewage-related works across the city. Under the project, PICIIP had to lay a 91km-long trunk sewer line in the entire city.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2025