LAHORE, Jan 30: The recent rain has good effect on standing wheat crop and met about 20 per cent need of water, said provincial irrigation officials here on Thursday.

Dry December, canal closure and around 45 per cent water shortage in the remaining Rabi season had hit the crop badly.

These factors had been giving anxious moments to the farmers and government officials alike. But, the rain spell, though late by at least two weeks, has given some respite as far as water shortage was concerned, they said.

The two-week heavy fog spell provided much-needed moisture to the crop but was not an alternate to the rain, they maintained. The department had decided to make heavy withdrawals in the beginning of the Rabi season hoping that seasonal rains would reduce pressure later. The department suffered only 28 per cent water shortage against 34 per cent forecast at the start of Rabi season. But, the earlier withdrawals had increased shortage for the rest of the season and the department had calculated them at 45 per cent. With rain intervening, especially in the Mangla dam catchment areas, the shortage might come down to around 40 per cent, they hoped.

An official of the Farmers Associates Pakistan also claimed that the present spell could reduce the production cost by saving the farmers from exorbitant cost of pumping out water with diesel-driven tubewells.

“Even if one watering is saved, the cost could be anywhere from Rs500 to Rs1,000 per acre, depending on rain received by a particular area. This can only be welcomed.”

He was particularly happy over heavy rains in the barani (rain-fed) areas of the province. These areas had not received any shower since the sowing of the wheat. These areas contribute around 20 per cent of the total production. During the last few years, the farmers in these areas had not been able to recover even the cost.

“This year, it might be different, specially if there is another spell of rain in the next few weeks,” he said.

According to the Met officials, the rain was widespread ranging between 5mm and 30mm in different areas of the country.

They said normally rain come during the last weeks of December or first two weeks of January. But, they were late this time.

Another official of the irrigation department said the current spell might bring snow on the mountains.