ISLAMABAD: Mohammed Kamran, a farmer, went almost bankrupt last year when he could not harvest any produce due to prolonged power cuts.
“All this land was almost nothing but dust due to lack of water as there was no electricity and we could not afford to operate tube wells with diesel pumps,” he said, sitting in his fields in Soan Valley, Khushab.
“But this year I, like other farmers, have adjusted to new techniques, hence the lush green fields of tomatoes and other vegetables,” Kamran said while giving instructions to his younger brother to set the sprinklers and check the drip irrigation system for any rupture or other damage.
Rising oil prices, unavailability of electricity and inflationary pressures have forced several farmers to turn to local resources to generate electricity and run their tube wells.
The rural economy in Soan Valley is turning to solar power to operate tube wells and gas from cattle dung to run diesel pumps.
Both the technologies are reducing dependence on electricity and diesel.
“Besides, the gas is combustible for domestic use too. This is an additional benefit for our womenfolk, who until last year depended on firewood,” he said.
The most serious problem in Soan Valley and the rest of Khushab district is lack of water.
Situated at the western end of the Salt Range, Soan Valley is spread over 737 square kilometres of mostly mountainous terrain, with only 25 percent of the area consisting of plains. The average elevation of the valley is 2,297 feet.
The area has salt deposits that make groundwater brackish.
Residents of Soan Valley, farmers in particular, suffered a heavy blow in 2002 when all the 3,500 wells in the valley went dry following a five-year-long drought that started in 1997.
Due to efforts by Soan Valley Development Programme (SVDP), an NGO, and other community-based organisations the locals have been able to recover from their losses by changing farming patterns.
“To improve groundwater resources through recharging, the NGOs have helped develop infrastructure like check dams, delay action dams and rainwater harvesting ponds,” said Malik Rehmat Ali of village Siddiqabad. “But the most important thing is that we communities are maintaining these structures.”
Internews
