HYDERABAD, April 16: The Left Bank Canal Area Water Board, Badin, has refuted allegations levelled by the chief engineer, irrigation, Kotri Barrage, accusing the Board of being responsible for the water shortage in the area.

Area water board chairman Abdul Ghafoor Nizamani, member of the Board Umer Farooq and general secretary of the Sindh Abadgar Board, Badin, Mohammad Nawaz Memon, on Wednesday said that the chief engineer had quoted “absolutely wrong figures” regarding the release of water.

In a rejoinder to the chief engineers’ press conference held here the other day, they said that the water allocation for the Akram Wah was 2,600 cusecs but the chief engineer was supplying only 1,600 cusecs and that, too, in instalments.

The growers’ leaders said that the chief engineer had drawn water in excess of 1,767 cusecs on April 14, 1,750 cusecs on April 15 and 2,460 cusecs on April 16, adding that this had been going on for the past month.

Under the circumstances, they said that both the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority and the Water Board were not responsible for water shortages in Badin, adding that responsibility for water shortage in the area rested on the shoulders of the chief engineer of the Kotri Barrage himself.

The chairman of the Water Board alleged that a conspiracy was afoot to fail the water reforms introduced by the Sida as it would end the irrigation department’s monopoly.