Baizai Irrigation Channel to irrigate 25,000 acre land

PESHAWAR: The Baizai Irrigation Channel Project completed at a cost of Rs3.5 billion is meant to irrigate 25,000 acre land in Malakand and Mardan districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The project that included the main canal of 39 km length starts from Wartair Dobandi in Malakand and ends up at the Matta village in Katlang tehsil in Mardan. Water was released in the canal on the completion of the project in May 2015. Farmers of the command area of the channel had great expectation from the project. However, their expectations could not be materialized due to long outstanding implementation of the Revenue Chakbandi, which took longer time than the project itself and illegal pumping of water through generators from the canal affecting farmers at tail end severely. It merits a mention that the huge investment on this mega project is not accruing the desired financial and economic benefits to the public. It is highly imperative that the provincial government take notice of the hardships faced by the farmers of Baizai Irrigation Channel and direct the department concerned to rectify the problem. The farmers have asked CM Mahmood Khan to take note of this important issue and ensure earlier solution to this longstanding problem.