Farmers demand water for irrigation in Peshawar division

PESHAWAR: Farmers and property owners belonging to various villages have complained that the orchards and agricultural lands were becoming barren in the plains of Peshawar division due to severe water scarcity and indifferent attitude of the people at the helm of affairs.

The farmers hailing from Haryana, Nasapa, Shakarpura, Daman-e-Afghani, led by former councilor Town-II Abdul Mateen, urged the government to take practical steps for coping with the water shortage that has caused huge loss to the dwellers of the area.

He said the ongoing situation had created unrest among the locals and they were mulling staging protests outside the office of the minister concerned if proper steps were not taken for a solution of their problems.

The farmers observed that the standing crops and orchards including pears, apricots, etc, were badly affected.

Speaking on the occasion, former councilor Abdul Mateen said that they had been facing this problem for the last several years, due to which many moderate land owning families have lost their sustenance.

He said these families had started selling out their lands in these areas where unplanned housing schemes had also been launched.

He said the local people had been pooling their resources to arrange water for their crops on their own for years but now it was impossible for them to continue providing irrigation water for their crops.

He deplored that they had also apprised the authorities concerned regarding their problems but nothing practical was done for them.

Abdul Mateen said the farmers had decided to hold a sit-in in front of the provincial assembly, press club and outside the irrigation offices if the irrigation water supply issue was not resolved on an emergency basis.