Rain-fed land to become suitable for crop cultivation on permanent basis
NOORPUR THAL:
Local farmers have started growing their crops through drip irrigation systems run by solar power due to lack of a canal system in Noorpur Thal.
Gram crop is cultivated on an area of more than 400,00 acres for four months only in case of rains in Noorpur Thal tehsil, while the land remains vacant for the remaining eight months of the year.
Former president Pervez Musharraf launched the Greater Thal Canal project in 2001 to supply water to the desert area and to make it green. It was estimated that the completion of the project would boost the country s economy by more than Rs4 billion annually. However, the project did not materialise due to lack of interest and funding from later governments.