Insanitary agricultural foliage destroyed

PESHAWAR: The district administration destroyed more than 30 acres of insanitary agricultural foliage here on Monday.

On public complaints about unsafe irrigation practices, the government issued directives to the district administration to proceed against the practice. The district administration of Peshawar along with Town Municipal Administration and local police undertook the exercise to eliminate these injurious vegetables and crops being irrigated with sewerage water.

A survey was conducted through the revenue administration to identify and map areas where vegetables were being irrigated with wastewater. An operation was conducted against this practice. Machinery was used to eliminate crops including mustards, cabbage, garlic and fodder being irrigated through polluted water.

Around 30 acres of agricultural land by effluent water in the suburbs of Peshawar was cleared. “More than 30 acres of insanitary agricultural foliage destroyed by the district administration in Peshawar,” a press release issued from the deputy commissioner office said. It said that vegetables on around 13 acres of land were destroyed by the district administration last week, and on Monday more crops were destroyed to ensure safe and healthy agricultural products to the citizens.

The communication added that this administrative intervention will sensitize farmers to abandon practices that pose a serious threat to public health.

The administration directed officials to undertake awareness campaigns in collaboration with the Agriculture Extension Department to educate farmers to adopt safe practices to irrigate and properly clean their produce.