PESHAWAR - Despite spending huge funds, the Irrigation Department and its affiliated entities have completely failed to clean four main canals starting from Warsak Dam, which resulted flood during heavy rains and monsoon spell.
Each year the month of January has been fixed for desilting of these main canals. But contrary to this the irrigation departments and its relevant authorities have failed to timely manage the desilting of these canals this year.
These canals include Sirband canal, canal of Nasir Bagh area, canal of Nishtarabad, and another canal passing through the Police Line and Dabgari Garden. Though the authorities concerned have stopped the water flow from these canals but so far the cleaning process has not been completed despite allocation of huge funds for this purpose.
All these four canals leading from Peshawar are full of garbage, stones and other kinds of polythene bags which badly disrupt the flow of water during heavy rains especially in monsoon season, which results heavy flooding not only in the rural areas but also damages houses and roads in urban areas of Peshawar.
The local people who use these water for agriculture purpose told the Nation that they are mostly depend on these water for growing their groceries and if the stoppage of water prolonged for next few months, then it would affect their fertile agrarian lands.
One resident of Landi Arbab Haji Subhan Khan told TheNation that relevant authorities of Irrigation Department are misusing the funds and they work at the snail’s pace to remove this garbage.
Another resident of the area, Asghar Khan, said that every year a month is fixed for canals desilting but this time the pace of work is very slow.
It is to mentioned here that a two-member bench of Peshawar High Court comprising had already ordered the government to erect fences and safety walls along the canals passing through the provincial capital and arrest all those dumping sewage in canals through their residential drainage system.
The court directed the provincial irrigation secretary to prepare a draft bill and refer it to the law department for onward legislation so as to declare the practice of littering of canals a non-bailable offence.
The court had taken a suo moto notice of the environmental degradation in the provincial capital and issued a detailed order.
The court had also directed the provincial government to replace all the rotten potable water supply pipes within six months and install incinerators at proper places across the province for proper waste disposal. However, the said order has so far not been implemented.
Meanwhile, Jammat-e-Islami central Majlis-e-Shura member and Central Vice President of Al-Khidmat Foundation Dr Iqbal Khalil on Wednesday said that no nation or country can make development in the world without provision of proper education to its masses.
Speaking at a prize distribution ceremony arranged by Iqra Education System (IES) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here at the Peshawar Press Club, Iqbal Khalil said that education was necessary in this complex era, because without proper education it was difficult for a nation to achieve development. Giving tips to the student in board examination, he said that students should much concentrate on Islamic Studies subject, because a student could obtain high marks in the subject as compare to other subject.
Similarly, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, he said, were also scoring subjects for the students and the mentioned subjects had basic role while Muslims scientists had also contributed great role in that subjects.
He stressed upon the students to make addiction of daily reading of different kind of books and visit to library and also maintain their course study for exams preparation as the extra reading would be helpful in their future.
On the occasion, Mirajud-Din, Provincial Director of IES, said that there were 14 units of the system operating in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including 4 schools, three colleges and a degree college for female students.
The vision of IES, he said to make character building of the young generation of Pakistan because students are the future of the country.
Later, cash prizes and awards were distributed among the position holders talented student of class 9th and 10th including Fakhr-e-Alam, Aamad Ali, Bilal Ahmad, Umer Raza, Ezhar Mehboob, Qazi Muhammad Saad, Jalal Khan, Arshad Ali, Abdul Wahid, Aabu Bakkar and Sheraz Ahmad.