Punjab govt raises Abiana to Rs1,650 per acre for kharif, Rs850 for rabi

The Punjab Irrigation Department has notified revised Abiana rates across the province, setting flat water charges of Rs1,650 per acre for the kharif season and Rs850 per acre for the rabi season.

The notification was issued on Wednesday under Section 49 read with Section 136 of the Punjab Irrigation, Drainage and Rivers Act, 2023. The new rates take immediate effect and supersede the earlier notification issued on December 5, 2023.

For context, Abiana is the official water tax or usage fee charged to farmers for using canal water for irrigation purposes in the Punjab province.

The Punjab Irrigation Department has also fixed the rate for sanctioned garden supplies at Rs2,000 per acre per annum, while state-owned lift irrigation will be charged at Rs2,250 per acre per annum.

Farm leaders criticised the hike, saying farmers were already facing high production costs compared with regional countries.

President of Kissan Ittehad Pakistan Khalid Khokhar said the government should have provided relief instead of raising water charges. He also opposed the flat-rate system, saying crop-based assessment would have been more suitable.

According to Khokhar, flat charges benefit water-intensive crops such as sugarcane and rice, while farmers growing less water-intensive crops may face a higher burden under the new system.

Farooq Bajwa, founding president of the Punjab Water Council, said the revised rates would increase irrigation costs for farmers. He said water rates had risen by up to four times under the new structure.

Bajwa said the kharif rate was about 94 per cent higher, reflecting greater water use during the summer cropping season.

He said orchard growers would be among the most affected, as the kharif rate and garden supply charge together would raise the cost to Rs3,650 per acre. He added that the charge for lift irrigation would be among the steepest, rising to over Rs4,000 per acre.

Bajwa said the revised structure indicated that electricity and pumping costs were being passed on to users.