Digging of deep wells worries Ghazni officials

GHAZNI CITY (PAN): Residents of southern Ghazni proivnce say digging of deep wells by non-professional people has created worries among farmers about a drought.

Growers have been digging wells to irrigate their farmlands, after the collapse of the Karez (underground) irrigation system. But most of the projects are done in violation of rules and safety standards.

Oficials could only control wells in areas on the outskirts of Ghazni City, the director of irregation said. If the unauthorised process continued, wells would go dry, warned Eng. Zia Rawan.

Such wells could turn farmlands into deserts, Director of Rural Development Sayed Baqir Sherzad said. Such wells could be useful only if dug in a professional way, he added.

Since illegal digging was tantamount to a national betrayal. He suggested farmsers should work on constructing canals.  Wells with water pumps could consume scare water sources of the province, Sherzad continued.

Most of such wells are located in Andar district, where the government’s writ has long been fragile. District chief, Sher Khan Yousufzai, said growers had to rely on their own tools in the absence of support from authorities.

Farmers have no option other than deep wells to water their fields, said the deputy head of the proivncial council, Amanullah Kamranai.  There were many water reservoirs, but the government was paying no head to their rehabilitation, he alleged.

He specifically referred to Sarda and Sultan dams, which could be easily reconstructed. The dams, if rehabilitated, could meet demand of many farmers, he believed.

In Qarabagh town, water level in the Roshan village had considerably fallen, irregating one acre of land in 24 hours, resident Mohammad Rafiq complained. The problem had persisted for 20 years, he said.

“Since we dug up a 108-metre-deep well in the canal a month back, the water level has seen a six-fold increase,” he added. As a result, the water level in other canals had also risen, the resident concluded.

frm/mud