Choked irrigation canal in Hajin to hit paddy cultivation on 3000 kanal land

Hajin: Paddy crop on 3000 kanals of land this year may be a non-starter in Hajin area of Bandipora as Irrigation and Flood control Department has failed to desilt a vital canal at Bonikhan, with its pump station not able to operate efficiently to supply water for this crop.
The crisis at the beginning of paddy cultivation with nursery of crop according to locals drying up for want of irrigation, forcing them to seek help from municipality to chip in with some help to clean the muck and garbage to atleast make the pump operate for 10 minutes.
A local Faroz Ahmad told Kashmir Reader the accumulated silt blocks the flow of water and this problem has now become an annual feature for the farmers with shortage now while threatening rice crops on a vast area.
The operator cannot run the pump for a few minutes only and the water delivered during this time cannot even suffice to reach the nurseries.
Another local said that authorities are aware of this issue and have not acted on time to end the irrigation woes.
‘We have been asked to cut the trees, but still no progress was made to carry out the deselting of this vital canal,”he said, asking the government to formally issue an order asking people not to cultivate rice as they have not been able to clean the canal for smooth passage of water.
The aggrieved farmers thanked officials and public representatives of Municipal Committee Hajin who provided them two machines for clearing some of the spots.
The locals said the desilting work of the canal should be taken on priority basis so that farmers do not face problems.
Executive Engineer IFCD Sumbal, Mohammad Iqbal while talking to Kashmir Reader said he has recently joined the office and as per his knowledge the desilting work has been done and all water pump stations Hajin are working normally.
Asked about Boni Khan water pump station not working at optimum due to water shotfall ,he said will look into the matter.

 

 

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