15,000 watercourses lining before fiscal year-end

National Programme for Improvement of Watercourses (NPIW) will achieve the target of lining 15,000 watercourses countrywide at an estimated cost of Rs 7 billion before the end of fiscal year.
An official in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) told Business Recorder on Monday that work is in full swing in all the provinces and the target of improving 15,000 watercourses would be achieved by the end of the financial year.
Out of 15,000 watercourses, 5,000 are in Punjab, 4,000 in Sindh, 3,000 in NWFP and 3,000 in Balochistan and it would be improved against 5,000 watercourses in 2004, he added.
The response of farmers has been overwhelming and they have welcomed President's initiative, which would bring enormous changes in agricultural and social uplift of rural areas, official maintained.