CHITRAL: Farmers of Rabat village in Arkari valley have expressed their immense joy over the uninterrupted supply of irrigation water through 6.7km-long canal, passing through hilly and rock falling-prone areas and originating from a stream at Oveer village.

Talking to a group of journalists here on Sunday, the villagers said that the channel used to remain closed for many weeks in the summer and spring seasons due to avalanches and heavy rains in the area.

They said that the recurring issue was resolved last year by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), through special repair of canal that involved providing and laying two-feet diameter reinforced concrete pipes in the vulnerable segment of the channel.

The farmers of the village including Akbar Hayat, Allaud Din, Mujtaba Khan and others said that after the improvement and repair of the channel last year, they started bringing more area under cultivation than ever before as they no more feared withering away of the crops due to paucity of water.

They expressed their contentment over the increase in the yield of cereal crops of wheat, barley and maize as well as beans and peas during the last two years after the revamping work of the canal which removed the water shortage problem for peasants.

The farmers said that encouraged by the non-stop supply of water during the last two years, many farmers started growing vegetables including broccoli and onion on commercial scale and earned a handsome income this year.

Mukarram Shah, chairman of Society for Arkari Valley Endeavour (SAVE), a local support organisation of the valley, said that the Oveer-Rabat was one of the few longest canals in the region. He said that the canal was completed in 1980s with the financial assistance of AKRSP and termed it a game changer for the area.

Mr Shah hoped that within the next few years, the villagers would be able to grow bumper crops of broccoli, red beans and peas by utilising regular supply of irrigation water.

Published in Dawn, October 21th, 2024