KP farmers reject hydropower projects on irrigation canals

CHARSADDA: The farmers in Charsadda and other districts on Sunday vowed to resist the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) plan to construct hydropower projects on irrigation canals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“We will resist tooth and nail the proposed hydropower projects as it will destroy the irrigation system in the province thus inflicting heavy losses on the growers in the province,” said a declaration released after a meeting of farmers here.

The Mazdoor Kissan Party had convened the meeting of farmers from Charsadda and other districts, including Mardan, Kohat, Malakand, Bannu and others, to discuss the possible repercussions of the proposed projects and the imminent threat to the livelihood of farmers.

Addressing the meeting, MKP vice-president Shamas Khan said that farmers across the province had rejected the hydropower projects to be launched by Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization and termed it an economic murder of the poor growers.

He said that Pakistan’s 22 percent GDP was based on agriculture while the best farming output was the result of canal systems that irrigate vast swaths of area across the province.He said that materialization of such projects was detrimental to ruining the farming sector,

which will be opposed at all costs.

The participants said that projects in question were being initiated without consulting the agriculture and irrigation departments and the farmers, who would be the ultimate sufferers if implemented.They announced to organize a protest sit-in against the KP government and an international bank that would provide funds for the proposed projects.