PESHAWAR: The district administration in a joint operation with the agriculture department has destroyed crop and vegetables being irrigated with effluent and contaminated water.

Following public complaints regarding unsafe practices of irrigation of agricultural land through contaminated water, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary Dr Kazim Niaz directed the district administration to proceed against the growers who were putting lives of people at stake, according to a press statement.

The district administration, Peshawar, along with agriculture department and local police eliminated the hazardous vegetable and crops being irrigated with sewerage water.

It said that a survey was conducted through the revenue administration to identify and map the areas where the vegetables were being irrigated with effluent. The operation was conducted on the orders of commissioner, Peshawar Division, Amjad Ali Khan.

Machinery was used to eliminate the crops, including mustard, cabbage, garlic and fodder being irrigated with polluted water, it said, adding that around 13 acres of such agricultural land was levelled by the administration in the suburbs of Peshawar city.

“This activity is a step towards provision of safe and healthy agricultural products to the citizens,” said deputy commissioner, Peshawar,. Mohammad Ali Asghar. He hoped that this administrative intervention will sensitise the farmers to abandon practices that posed serious threat to public health.

He directed all assistant commissioners to undertake awareness campaigns in collaboration with the agriculture extension department to educate farmers to adopt safe practices to irrigate and wash their produce.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2020