Reshipora residents demand desilting of vital irrigational canal

Pulwama, May 01: Residents from Reshipora and adjoining villages from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have demanded repairing and proper desilting of a vital irrigation canal feeding a large chunk of paddy land.
The residents informed Rising Kashmir that an important lift irrigation scheme loading water from Jhelum supplies water to many villages including Duggarpora, Reshipora, Panzgam and Takuna.
They said that this 5 Kilometer long water canal from Duggarpora to Takuna is in dire straits.
“ From the past 20 years it has been ignored,” an aged resident said, adding that the officials of irrigation department use earth movers to desilt the canal days before sowing of paddy grains in nurseries.
“ The desilting increases depth of the canal due to which supply lines gain height as result of which it becomes difficult for water to load into these shallow lines from the deep canal,” the residents said.
The residents added that they don’t want irrigation department to desilt the canal by earth movers.
“ Earth movers fail to uncloak the cloaked canal,” the residents said, adding that manual labourers engaged through MGNREGA scheme were doing the job of desilting and uncloaking the canal more efficiently.
“ Manual cleaning will generate employment for local youth and at the same time desilt the canal in a proper way without increasing its depth,” the residents said.
The residents also demanded that the irrigational canal be repaired for ensuring irrigation facility to a big chunk of paddy land.
The residents informed that Duggarpora, Gulzarpora, Reshipora, Panzgam, Banderpora Tukuna and adjoining villages in Awantipora area occupy an important for place paddy cultivation in district Pulwama.
Assistant Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department, Padgampora Subdivision, Sunil Kaul said that the canal has been desilted and uncloaked.
“ The desilting was carried by our department in patches and not through the entire length because we had constraints of funds,” he said, adding that rural development also carried the desilting after getting a NOC from their department.
He also said that they have also recommended to their higher offices for desilting the canal through MGNREGA because it has a larger labour component.
He added that the canal is loading water this time and if farmers face any inconvenience they can bring it to his notice for timely redressal.