February 17, 2003	Monday	Zul Hijjah 15, 1423

Many parts of the world are facing water shortage and some have reached a crisis stage due to climatic changes, increase in human population and land under crops, unfair distribution and the mismanagement of available resources. Water is basic element and its shortage results in famine.

On the one hand the regulated rivers’ water from the mid-19 century, through the construction of barrages and dams, has brought green revolutions in many parts of the world, while on the other, many lower riparian nations have suffered due to improper distribution of regulated water.

The province of Sindh, which is completely arid when considered on the basis of annual precipitin, is totally dependent on the river Indus, for its water needs. Regulated water supply through the dams and the barrages and through the network of canal system has become a source of intensive agriculture, but the unfair distribution has also resulted in devastation of fertile tail-end areas.

The water crisis of the last three years has resulted in big hue and cry, as the demand for irrigation water has increased and the supply reduced. The natural climatic conditions like the less snowfall and rains in the catchment areas of rivers and the mild season for melting glaciers have exacerbated the situation. The scientific know-how has not reached to the stage of controlling the natural climatic phenomena and any temporary intervention in natural water cycle may result in ecological disaster.

The prosperity of the nation and the sustainable development of agriculture in various areas mainly depends on fair distribution of existing water resources and proper management. Till there is no fair distribution of water among the end-users no other management interventions can be successful. Laws and rules are no doubt pre-requisites for fair distribution of water at all stages but the moral and social considerations by all the beneficiaries on the system are more essential.

Pakistan has abundant land and water resources. Once distribution ofwater among the provinces is decided through accords, it should be honestly implemented by the upper and the lower riparians. Till the farming community is sufficiently involved in planning and decision-making,it will not be possible to achieve proper distribution. Unfortunately, planning and decision-making are done by the bureaucracy without involvement of the representatives of the farming communities of different provinces,water distribution has resulted in more misunderstanding . True representative bodies of farmers from various areas can sit together and decide the distribution in fair and honest manner. The reforms in irrigation system of the provinces, through participation of farmers’ bodies at various levels, can be a successful tool in maintaining relationship between various units of the federation and misunderstandings can be removed.

The construction of head-work and barrages was started by the British colonial masters from the last quarter of the 19th century, which brought great changes in the cropping patterns, and more valuable crops were added resulting in the prosperity. More barrages and dams were constructed after the Independence and more areas were brought under the regulated canal irrigation system.

During the colonial era, the distribution system and control was based on the laws and rules which were strictly followed as water was considered the property of the crown and the canal bureaucracy as its servants. After Independence, there was need to change the mind of canal engineers and the participation of the real owners of the water was necessary in decision-making for distribution of water.But unfortunately this did not happen for long and the policies were made by the bureaucracy in isolation and decisions implemented without consulting the beneficiaries.

This system of supply-based irrigation water from the barrages to the canals without the scientific know-how of crops and the unawareness of the farming community resulted in huge wastage of water without increase in productivity, while water-logging and salinity increased. Cropping patterns of various agro ecological sub-zones warrant for demand-based distribution among the barrages, as well as among the main canals from any barrage.

The time has come that farmers’ representatives participate in plans and decision-making for the distribution of water, as per need and cropping pattern of agro ecological zones. The technical bureaucracy should act as the facilitator and technical guide but the final decisions for distribution should be based on the recommendations of the end-users’ representatives. There is a need for motivation and dissemination of technical know-how to the farmers, so that they make honest decisions for the distribution of water among various barrages and canal command areas.

Distribution of water from branch canals, distributaries and minors: The colonial masters had left us with a well-organized administrative system.However it had an in-built component of corruption. The Public Works Department had a system of commissions or kickbacks limited to lower level functionaries. The organized administrative system diminished and vanished and the corruption expanded reaching to the higher levels of hierarchy.

The irrigation system which was being run through enforcement of laws and rules lost its value as illegal activities and corruption of the functionaries destroyed the sanctity of the rules. The distribution system of irrigation water among the farmers through branch canals, distributaries and minors became more prune to theft and tempering of modules became a common practice. Realization was never created in the minds of farmers that they were the real owners of water as per their due share and the canal engineers and officials were only the caretakers and the facilitators. Direct outlets from the main and branch canals further disturbed the distribution system. The minors at the tail-end of the canal system could not get their due share and the fertile lands in their command became barren. The functionaries allowed the influential landowners in the upper reaches of canals and distributaries to temper the modules for increasing the intensity of cropping and adding high delta crops like sugarcane, banana and orchards leaving almost no water for the tail-enders.

Improper and injudicious distribution of water is the main cause of poverty and lawlessness in rural Sindh.Absence of the farmers from decision-making and the bureaucracy operating in a secret manner brought demoralization in the farming community who always remained scared of the irrigation functionaries.

The distribution system can be repaired only if participation of the beneficiaries in the distribution of water and maintenance of the system is ensured.

There is a wrong impression in some quarters that farmers are ignorant and illiterate and can not run the system of distributaries and minors for proper distribution of water by themselves. A close review of the situation through social mobilization programme and analysis reveals that in many cases there are well educated and efficient farmers having capabilities to organize themselves and manage the system at the distributaries level. It is apparently clear that water is not controllable through coercive rules by the irrigation bureaucracy without involving the farmers.

Social responsibility is the main instrument in controlling water thefts, as office-bearers or committee members of a farmers organization distributing water will not disturb the share of tail-end neighbours due to the social pressure. There will be some complaints in the beginning but the system will get streamlined within a short span of time.

Success stories of countries like Mexico and Turkey are guiding examples in this regard. Every member of the society has to understand the basic principle that no society can flourish without honesty and nothing can be achieved without combating corruption.

A mass-scale social mobilization programme for uplift of moral values of the farming community and the functionaries of government department is imperative for creating realization that water theft is a worst crime not only under the Islamic injunctions but under the norms of a decent society. The prosperity of the nation as a whole, as well as the farming community is not possible if this crime continues unabated. The only solution of such menace is through the involvement of farmers’ representative in decision-making, and the transfer of distribution system to them.