Delegation urges RDD to desilt Kralpur canal in Chadoora, warns of impact on 7,000 kanals farmland

Srinagar: A delegation of the J&K Climate Action Group (JKCAG) and Alamdar Welfare Society (AWS), Gopalpora, met Director, Rural Development Department (RDD) Kashmir, Shabir Hussain Bhat, in his office at Srinagar on Monday. The delegation, led by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, Abdul Rashid Baba, and Abdul Rashid Wagay, raised the issue of a major irrigation canal in the Chadoora area that needs desilting and proper restoration.

“A major irrigation canal, almost 13 km long, known locally as Kralpur Kul, needs immediate desilting from Wathoora Sheikhpora to Mochwa. Some work has been taken up in the Kralpora and Dharambugh areas of the BK Pora block, but there is an immediate need for desiltation in Sheikhpora Wathoora, Zolwa, and Gopalpora areas as well. The silt, muck, and solid waste have choked this canal at multiple locations,” said Dr Raja Muzaffar.

He added that the canal irrigates almost 7,000 kanals of agricultural land, but the Irrigation Department has no funds to restore it, and we urged the Director RDD to support us. The officer was kind enough to agree to this public demand and assured us that the work would start soon, before the onset of winter.

It is important to mention that Kralpur Kul and two other small irrigation canals (Masar Kul and Doyan Kul) were recently damaged in floods during September, as illegal riverbed mining had weakened the embankments of the Doodh Ganga stream.

The JKCAG and AWS have appealed to DC Budgam and the Chief Engineer, Irrigation & Flood Control Department, Kashmir, to construct iron or cement-concrete flumes around the Doodh Ganga stream in Chadoora so that irrigation water can be supplied through them from March onwards.

“If the flumes are not constructed in the next two to three months, paddy cultivation on almost 5,000 kanals of agricultural land will be impacted next year,” Dr Raja Muzaffar added.