CHITRAL (By Gul Hamaad Farooqi): Hundred’s people belong to Singor, Shahmirandeh kicked desilting (cleaning of irrigation channel) on volunteer basis. Some 18000 people from the suburbs of Chitral like Singor, Shah Miranda Balch etc. use the same stream for irrigation purposes. This irrigation canal was brought by the people for their lands from the river Chitral. Then in 1977 one megawatt hydroelectric power plant was built on the same river and the land of the local people remained dry for a long time. The water flows into this river from which the people here not only irrigate their lands but also the people living along this stream use water motors to carry this water to their homes. The locals themselves clean the canalr two or three times a year on self help basis..
Our correspondent also voluntarily visited the spot to review the work and interact with the people to encourage them.
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The locals complained that in this stream people not only dump their household rubbish and wastage but also their children's pampers and also put medicine or other glasses bottles in it which makes it very difficult for us to clean it. They said that some time ago a huge canal was to be constructed in the name of Singur Irrigation Channel with the financial assistance of the World Bank on which work was done for a few months but it is not known that why that canal was closed and left incomplete. Singor irrigation channel was constructing under the supervision of Irrigation Department. Million of rupees were embezzled on the name of that water channel they added. . Locals allege that the provincial government provides funds to the irrigation department for cleaning and repairing the canal, but it does not spend a single penny on it, and people clean up the canal three times a year on their own, without compensation. They demanded the provincial government to paved the canal so that it would be easier for them to clean it. They said that if the streamr was made RCC concrete then its cleaning would be completed in one day instead of three days. They also demanded from the district administration and concerned agencies to instruct the homeowners around this canal not to throw dirt in it as in the past people used its water for drinking purposes too but now due to dumping of dirt.and wastage It is also not suitable for irrigation because according to experts, when crops are irrigated with dirty water, people get infected with various diseases due to its germs. The cleaning of this irrigation canal will be continue for two more days.
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