South Punjab Canals Getting 53,000 Cusec Water As Cotton Sowing Continues

MULTAN : Punjab Secretary of Agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahu on Monday met with provincial secretary irrigation Wasif Khursheed and discussed the availability of water to support cotton sowing already in progress on an over 4.5 million acre area in south Punjab.

Wasif Khursheed said that despite an overall 27 per cent water shortage, the irrigation department was releasing water to south Punjab canals on priority in ample quantity that is more than its share, adding that 53,000 cusec water was being fed to south Punjab canals, Punjab agriculture spokesman said in a statement on Monday.

The irrigation department of Punjab was keeping the needs of south Punjab farmers on top of its priority list, the Punjab irrigation secretary said.

Secretary of Agriculture said that an area of 45,54,000 acres was being brought under cotton cultivation in south Punjab which comes around to 91 per cent of the total cotton sown area of five million acres in Punjab.

He said that water availability was mandatory to ensure that more and more areas can be brought under cotton cultivation in Punjab.

Officials also agreed on joint monitoring of water theft by irrigation and agriculture officials, their prompt reporting and subsequent legal action so that uninterrupted water supply to cotton farmers in south Punjab is ensured.

Director of agriculture extension Punjab Dr. Anjum Ali Buttar, chief engineer Habibullah Bodla, and deputy director Muhammad