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The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has pioneered and developed a smartphone application to assist the Irrigation Department in monitoring water theft from irrigation channels in Punjab province.
PITB Chairman Umar Saif stated that the launch of such an app would promote smart and efficient monitoring of water theft on the irrigation system. The ability to geotag would help accumulate pictorial evidence, and enhancing their ability to collect, collate data in real time. This would help irrigation department to curb water theft, identify the culprits involved, and act as a check on nepotism too.
Twenty workers of the irrigation department have been provided smartphones, unlimited internet with the ability to make free calls. This application would help to measure water input/output, curb and report water theft, give reported repairs and maintenance reports on work under progress round the clock. About 2,670 smart mobile phones are going to be rolled out along with mandatory training for the irrigation department.
This initiative on part of PITB would help the farmers in receiving their alloted share of water. Due to a lack of available tools, the irrigation department was unable to put a curb on these periodical water thefts, which hampered recoveries and caused massive financial losses. This is why the agricultural output was suffering because deserved farmers were not receiving their due share of water. If this testing process is carried out successfully, there are expectations that this initiative may be rolled out to rest of the Punjab within the next few months.
