HYDERABAD, July 31: The office-bearers of the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) have deplored that despite their request to the secretary for irrigation to strengthen embankments of the Rohri Canal before releasing water to its full capacity, no action was taken which resulted into the breach in the canal.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, SAB president Abdul Majeed Nizamani, additional secretary-general Dr Zulfiqar Yousufani and information secretary Mehfooz Ursani expressed grief over the widespread devastations caused by the breach in the Rohri Canal, which supplied water to three million acres.

They said during their meeting with the secretary one and a half month back, they had cautioned him that due to the acute shortage of water the embankments had been rendered weak, and therefore they should be strengthened before releasing full supply.

They said no one had paid heed to their demands to strengthen the Rohri Canal for the last three years.

They asked the government to line the canal on war footings.

The SAB office-bearers said the breach was the result of the indifferent attitude and carelessness of the authorities concerned. The other reason for the breach could be the large-scale transfers of irrigation officials during monsoon, they added.

They demanded of the Sindh governor and the irrigation minister to order a complete survey of the losses and compensate affected people.

They further demanded that affected growers should be given interest-free loans to cultivate their Rabi corps.

The SAB office-bearers demanded an inquiry to fix the responsibility for the breach.