SHOPIAN — Residents of Bhat Mohalla in Shadab Karewa in south Kashmir’s Shopian district have raised a pressing concern regarding the Shadab Karewa Irrigation Canal.
They said that despite significant government expenditure amounting to crores of rupees on the canal’s development, the benefits are not reaching the entire community due to alleged negligence by the irrigation department’s engineers.
Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, an orchardist said the tail ends of Shadab Karewa, including Bhat Mohalla, Khan Mohalla, Darzi Mohalla, Tulsi Mohalla and Mir Mohalla are not receiving the necessary irrigation, which has resulted in tremendous difficulties for residents.
“These areas, particularly their agricultural and apple farms, are suffering from a lack of water, which is crucial for newly planted trees, existing orchards and agricultural fields,” he added.
Another local said that currently, the irrigation facility serves only the upper portions of the village, leaving the tail-end villages struggling with dry fields and orchards.
“The local population, including farmers and orchardists, are experiencing severe stress as their primary source of livelihood is threatened due to the non-availability of irrigation facilities,” he said.
The villagers have appealed to the Lieutenant Governor-led administration for prompt intervention. They request the administration to issue directives to the concerned authorities for immediate action to ensure that the tail-end villages receive their fair share of water from the irrigation canal.
“We hope that with the administration’s intervention, the grievances of Shadab Karewa’s residents will be addressed,” they said, adding, “The matter is urgent, as the ongoing heat and lack of irrigation are causing significant damage to their crops and overall agricultural output.” — (RK)