‘Our fields are cracking open’: Defunct pump leaves Chogal paddy fields parched, officials unmoved

June 20, 2025 by News Desk

Meer Irfan

As the peak paddy season begins across Kashmir, farmers in Chogal, Handwara say their fields are drying up under the sun with no irrigation water in sight. They blame official apathy and say the Irrigation Department has failed them yet again.

“The water has been missing from the canals for days. Our land is cracking open, and the saplings are wilting,” said Abdul Rashid, a farmer in Chogal, speaking to The Kashmiriyat. “If this continues for even a couple more days, we’ll lose the entire crop. We don’t have another means of survival.”

Dozens of farmers across the area echoed the same concern. They say their repeated pleas to the authorities have gone unheard. “We have visited the Irrigation office multiple times. They just offer verbal assurances. But the fields need water, not words,” said another local grower.

According to the locals, the irrigation crisis is not new, but the current situation is among the worst they’ve faced. “The Chogal pump has been lying defunct for years. No one came to repair it, no matter how much we raised our voices,” said Ghulam Nabi, another farmer.

Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, AEE Aamir Ahmad Shah from the Irrigation Department attributed the situation to prevailing drought conditions and low river levels. “Efforts are on, and we expect to restore water supply in the next two days,” he said.

However, AEE Javed Ahmad Qureshi from the Mechanical Department admitted that the irrigation pump in Chogal has been non-functional for 15 years. “A Detailed Project Report (DPR) was submitted, but approval is still awaited. For now, we are supplying water for three hours a day from the Wadhpora pump. Hopefully, Chogal will start receiving some flow by this evening,” he told The Kashmiriyat.

But for farmers who depend on every hour of water during this crucial period, partial and uncertain supplies are not enough.

“If this is not fixed immediately, we will have no option but to protest,” one local farmer warned. “We can’t sit back and watch our hard work and our livelihoods turn to dust.”