QWP seeks temporary restoration of Munda Headworks

PESHAWAR: The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) on Friday asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary to help restore the Munda Headworks, which was damaged in the recent flash floods, so that the crops and orchards could be irrigated.

According to a press release issued from Watan Kor, the headquarters of the QWP, the party’s provincial Chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao wrote a letter to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary requesting him to direct the officials of the Irrigation Department to carry out temporary restoration of the flood-damaged Munda Headworks.

In the letter, Sikandar Sherpao said the Munda Headworks irrigated Lower Swat Canal, Tangi Left Irrigation Scheme, Doaba Canal and Sholgara Canal systems and its command area stood at 189,300 acres covering Charsadda, Mardan and Nowshera districts.

He added that the majority of the population of these districts were dependent on agriculture with sugarcane, wheat and vegetables being the main crops.

The QWP leader maintained that currently water supply was required for sugarcane, vegetables and other crops, adding that the wheat-sowing season would start from the last week of October for which a stable water supply was essential.

He said though the full restoration of the Munda Headworks required a lot of time as the country was facing flood emergency, the farmers should be provided some relief through temporary restoration.

He requested the chief secretary to help restore the headworks to make the water available for the crops to prevent the farmers from facing losses. He feared that the delay would affect the yield of the sugarcane and other crops and it was a source of anxiety for the farmers.