KHYBER: As many as 4,000 acres of barren land has been rehabilitated for cultivation as the agriculture department in Khyber tribal district in collaboration with NGO Islamic Relief Pakistan (IRP) restored two key water channels from the Bara River in Upper Bara area.

Sources in Speen Drand, Sandana, Dray Wandi, Sheikh Mali Baba and Kandaw Jumaat areas of Upper Bara toldDawnthat irrigation channels originating from the Bara River in different areas of Upper Bara and other parts of Tirah valley were damaged during their decade-long displacement from their homes due to law and order situation and subsequent military operations.

Qazi Waras Khan, a Sipah elder in Sandana village, claimed that the damage caused to irrigation channels coupled with the people’s prolonged displacement had rendered almost their entire cultivable lands barren, which left most families high and dry on return to the area in June last year.

He said that the people had an organised irrigation system prior to their migration from homes in 2006-07, while agriculture was their main source of income, which was in complete shambles when they came back after their area was declared safe by the security forces.

4,000 acres of land ready for cultivation after restoration of water channels

“Life had become very difficult in the absence of any sources of earning soon after our return as we were completely dependent on agriculture,” he said.

Malik Waak Khan, another local elder and a farmer, said the region’s land was best suited for wheat and maize crops along with a number of seasonal vegetables, while orchards were also in abundance, so people lived a happy and peaceful life prior to the emergence of militant groups in most parts of Bara and Tirah areas in 2005-06.

He said that the immediate priority was the complete revival of agriculture with the main focus on the levelling of their land and repairing the damaged irrigation channels for which they had started approaching the relevant government departments and NGOs.

The Sipah Khidmat-i-Khalq committee, a welfare organisation of Sipah tribe, was instrumental in approaching and motivating the IRP for helping revitalise farming in the affected areas, while the Khyber agriculture department, too, provided all-out support in arranging help and assistance for the local farmers.

Turab Ali, an active member of Sipah Khidmat-i-Khalq committee, insisted that with almost 90 per cent of the houses of the returned families completely or partially damaged, they were in urgent need of revival of their farming to enable them to earn the much desired monetary resources for rebuilding of their homes.

Abid Shah, a local agriculture officer, told Dawn that initially, two important water channels measuring one and half kilometres were repaired, while water from the Bara River was released for irrigation into the two channels, which provided the much-needed relief to hundreds of farmers in Speen Drand, Sandana, Dray Wandi and surrounding areas as water started to reach their farmland.

He said that the IRP also provided tractors for leveling thousands of acres of land, which was badly affected by flooding in the Bara River during the last 10-12 years.

“Majority of the residents, especially farmers, could not bear the expenses of levelling their damaged lands and repairing irrigation channels due to their poor financial status,” he said.

The official said apart from the initial process of 270 acres of land levelling and repair of two damaged irrigation channels, his department and IRP also provided free maize and wheat seeds to the local farmers for cultivation on nearly 600 acres of the ‘revitalised’ agricultural lands.

“We have also provided sunflower and potato seeds for cultivation on 400 and 600 acres of land respectively to facilitate farmers,” he said.

Mr Shah said that in order to further augment the financial earnings of the returned families and especially the farmers community, his department had also distributed 10,000 walnut saplings among 500 recently returned families with 20 plants per family.

He said that his department had also set up olive orchards on at least 27 acres, which were also protected with iron fencing.

“We are trying to involve and invite more NGOs so that the maximum benefit can be provided to the recently returned families, while their cultivable land could be utilised for productive yields,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2023