Halmatpora paddy farmers rue lack of irrigation facilities

Kupwara, June 13: The residents of Halmatpora Hyhama area of Kupwara have expressed strong resentment against the Irrigation and Flood Control Department for failing to provide them water for their agricultural land.

The locals said that following damage to the embankments of Arambagh irrigation canal during recent flash floods, they approached the department well in time for their repairs, but to no avail.

“Almost two thousand kanal agriculture land grapples with lack of water, but authorities seem to be unmoved even after apprising them about the issue several times,” Pirzada Mudasir, a local youth from Halmatpora told Greater Kashmir.

“Although we have sowed paddy saplings in our agricultural land but due to lack of water the land has dried up, raising grave concern among local farmers,” he added.

When Greater Kashmir brought this issue into the notice of Executive Engineers Irrigation and Flood Control Department Division Kupwara, Asif Ali Masoodi, he said that the canal work doesn’t pertain to Irrigation Department but still they will take necessary steps for restoration of water.

The residents have sought immediate intervention of Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Ayushi Sudan in this regard, so that water supply is restored at the earliest.