Desilting of canals will be completed by January 31:Provincial Minister for Irrigation

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Irrigation, Malik Ahmed Ali has said that desilting of canals is speedily continuing and according to the schedule, desilting of 3851 miles long 638 canals will be completed by January 31 which will cost Rs. 24.5 crore.

He stated this while presiding over a meeting, here today. Officers of Irrigation department were also present on the occasion. The Minister informed that 502 lakh cubic feet silt will be removed from 374 perennial canals during the current year while 412 lakh cubic feet silt is estimated to be removed from 64 non-perennial canals. He said that according to the schedule, 45 percent desilting work has been completed in Sargodha zone, 41percent in Lahore zone and 11 percent in Multan zone. He said that during desilting campaign, silt will be removed from 33 perennial canals of Lahore zone, 20 of Faisalabad zone, five of Bahawalpur zone, nine of DG Khan zone, 64 of Multan zone and 190 of Sargodha zone. He said that it is the basic responsibility of the officers of Irrigation department to maintain quality of desilting work and no compromise would be made in this regard. He informed that third party monitoring teams have been sent to field for the inspection of desilting work.

Malik Ahmed Ali said that canal system is the backbone of the provincial agriculture which should be harmonized in accordance with the present day needs. He said that if desilting of canals is not carried out in time then water flow is slowed down as a result, water outlets take more water and the rights of the farmers at tail ends are usurped. He said that present government is strictly implementing the programme of equal distribution of canal water to the farmers.