Repair of irrigation water pumps demanded
By Our Correspondent
2016-10-12
SWABI: Growers and their leaders said here on Tuesday that they had lost the sole source of irrigation due to unavailability of water in Topi canal.
They demanded immediate repair of the water pumps for the irrigation purpose and threatened to stage a protest demonstration if the pumps were not repaired by Friday.
The Topi canal taking water from Pehur canal passes through the premises of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology.
Three huge water pumps have been installed near the first entry gate of Tarbela Dam which take water from Pehur canal and drop it in Topi canal and this is how the Topi canal fulfils the irrigation requirements of the local farmers.
Usually one of the water pumps is rested and two remain under operation.
However, all the three pumps went out of order three weel(s ago, causing great difficulties to the farmers who did not have any other source to irrigate their crops.
`This year only one light rain has occurred in Topi and the farmers here are dependent on the canal to irrigate their crops,but the ofhcials concernedfailed to take steps due to unknown reasons,` said Noor Gul, a farmer of the area.
Arif Shah, a social worker of the area, said that the local councillors and farmers met with the executive engineer irrigation at his office, but he did not visit the site according to his promise to know about needs of the farmers.
Zahir Shah, president of All Neighbourhood Councils Ittehad Topi, said that the official failed to take the required steps to solve problems being faced by the farmers.
Meanwhile, consumers belonging to different areas here on Tuesday criticised the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority for increasing the gas price by 36 per cent.
They said that with the arrival of winter and prospects for increased use of gas the SNGPL had dropped a bombshell of price hike on the people.
The residents said that usually it was claimed that economic burden would not be transferred to the poor consumers, but in fact they were always the victim and the whole burden was shifted to them.
