Baizai irrigation canal in Katlang: Farmers in Mardan protest suspension of water supply

PESHAWAR: Enraged by suspension of water supply to the farmers in the multi-billion Baizai irrigation canal in Katlang Tehsil of Mardan district, the farmers on Tuesday staged a protest against the provincial Irrigation Department and its alleged failure to ensure uninterrupted water supply to their crops.

The coalition government of the Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party had built the Baizai irrigation canal at a cost of Rs3 billion that brought thousands of acres of land under cultivation.

However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in its two tenures could not construct water channels and failed to establish a proper water distribution system to the farmers.

According to the farmers, water supply from the Baizai irrigation canal stopped a few days ago and caused damage to the standing crops and orchards.

They complained that farmers living on upper parts of the canal stole water from the main canal by putting water pumps on breaching sidewalls.

“The government had spent over Rs3 billion on this project but it didn’t help the farmers accordingly as farmers in upper parts of the canal stop water particularly when they needed water for their crops,” Imtiaz Ali, a progressive farmer of Koti Shah in Katlang complained.

He said it was not the first time that water has been stopped to them in a critical time, saying whenever their crops needed water, it was suspended due to various reasons and the relevant authorities, particularly the Irrigation Department failed to take notice of the situation.

According to the farmers, irrigation water in Baizai irrigation was stopped at very peak hours on April 28, 2022, where irrigation water was needed for standing sugarcane crop, wheat, fruit orchards, summer vegetables in Katlang and Malakand district.

The farmers complained that water was being stopped since 2021 which has made farmers’ life miserable in Malakand and parts of Katlang where the residents had spent huge resources on their fields. “The standing crops of thousands of farmers are at stake now as the crops need water and the canal is dry,” a farmer said.

Imtiaz Ali said the irrigation water was either stopped due to leakages in the canal or then its level had reduced to water stealing.

He said they had data since 2021 when the irrigation water was not available due leakage of valves near Peepal village at peak season for sugarcane, maize, summer vegetables, and orchards.

“Unfortunately no serious efforts are taken by the high-ups of the Irrigation Department to resolve this issue. We don’t have access to the chief minister and ministers to convey to them our sufferings,” Imtiaz Ali told the protesting farmers.

He said whenever they recorded their protest, the local staff were directed for rehabilitations, maintenance, and restoration of irrigation water, but since they were neither trained nor technically equipped, therefore the issue was never resolved.

The farmers said that there was lack of coordination among the relevant stakeholders particularly the irrigation and Sarhad Hydro Development Organisation.

When contacted, Chief Engineer Nasir Ghafoor Khan said that he had already mobilised his people to immediately resolve the issue and ensure water supply to the farmers.