Dera ismail khan: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to immediately release funds for the repair and rehabilitation of the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), warning that the deteriorating irrigation system is severely affecting agriculture in Dera Ismail Khan and Taunsa.
Talking to the media, Fazlur Rehman said the CRBC Canal serves as the backbone of the agricultural economy of Dera Ismail Khan and Taunsa, but has remained neglected for nearly two decades, resulting in significant damage to farming and livelihoods across the region.
He said the canal’s poor condition has reduced water supply from the designated 5, 000 cusecs to around 3, 500 cusecs. He said that some influential landowners along the western bank of the canal were illegally diverting large quantities of water, depriving farmers in the command area of their rightful share.
The JUI-F chief said the water shortage and its inequitable distribution have left farmers living at the tail-end of the canal in Taunsa without sufficient irrigation water, while in some areas even drinking water has become scarce.
He added that prolonged drought conditions have forced many families to migrate, causing serious losses to agricultural production and the rural economy.
Referring to the farmers’ protest, Fazlur Rehman said thousands of growers from Taunsa had reached Dera Ismail Khan in a tractor-trolley march to demand an end to water theft, immediate rehabilitation of the canal, restoration of its full carrying capacity, and the supply of the allocated 5, 000 cusecs of water.
He called on the provincial government to release emergency funds for the canal’s restoration and direct the irrigation department to complete rehabilitation work without delay so that the region’s struggling agricultural sector could recover and thousands of farmers in the command area could continue contributing to the national economy.
Criticising the government, Fazlur Rehman said it was regrettable that instead of strengthening agricultural production and addressing farmers’ needs, the authorities were neglecting one of the country’s most vital sectors, pushing the region and the province deeper into an irrigation crisis.