RAJANPUR: Green pastures becoming extinct
The Dawn, By Our Correspondent
1/3/2003

RAJANPUR, Jan 2: Pachaadh, a nearby village is badly affected owing to continuous drought and the unavailability of the canal water.

The underground water is too salty and injurious to health. Residents depend on ponds which have also dried up. Now they are forced to drink the dirty and unhygienic water used by the animals. The green pasture areas, which were already rare, have almost become extinct.

Half of the population has migrated to other areas while the rest of them are living a miserable life. Neither the district Nazim nor any landlord has taken measures to resolve the problems faced by the residents.

Landlords have set up around 1,200 lift pumps across the Dajal Canal where several outlets have been carved out in Sadiq district, Nala Jalalpur and Noor Dhandi. Officials of the Canal Department take monthly bribe from these landlords. Each lift pump is enough for watering 250 acres of land. This manipulation on part of the local landlords results in preventing the water from reaching the tail.

Bahadur, an active member of Pachaadh, has held the local landlords responsible for this sorry state of affairs.

http://www.dawn.com/2003/01/03/local26.htm