TIMERGARA: The owners of orange orchards in Lower Dir on Sunday asked the government to help them rehabilitate their fields that were damaged by floods in 2010.
Hundreds of orange orchards, including the ones in Rabat area, were damaged by the floodwater in Lower Dir in 2010 that struck various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Most of the orchards in Dir were situated on both sides of Panjkora River. However, despite the lapse of long six years, the government and concerned departments have yet to take any step for rehabilitation of these orchards.
It is worth mentioning here that a large quantity of ‘Rabat oranges, which are famous for their taste are supplied to other cities in the country. “My orchard situated on the bank of Panjkora River in Rabat was inundated by the floodwater and more than 276 plants were washed away,” Qazi Shoaib, a gardener told The News.
He said the officials of Agriculture Department never contacted him for rehabilitation of the orchard.Rehmatullah, another gardener, said the government never bothered to extend any help to them for rehabilitation of their orchards.
He said it was quite easy to rehabilitate the orchards if the government approved water supply schemes for the orchards and provided them orange plants along with fertilizer. He added that due to non-availability of water, the remaining plants had withered and they had no other option, but to cut the plants.
