HYDERABAD, May 3: The Left Bank Canal Area Water Board, Badin, has strongly reacted to the resolution of the Hyderabad District Council, demanding winding up of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority.

In a joint statement issued here the other day, the board chairman, Abdul Ghafoor Nizamani, and member, Umer Farooq, said that the irrigation reforms programme was for the benefit of growers.

Saying that the irrigation system of Sindh had failed to deliver, they claimed that fair distribution of water was made possible by Sida and the area water boards through the farmers’ organizations.

They said that the irrigation department was still holding the administrative powers and not letting the new system to take off.

They further said that the bureaucracy in Sindh had done little for the benefit of the growers, a glaring example of which was non-lining of watercourse in the province.

They said that the 68 schemes of lining of watercourses, rehabilitation of canals and drainage infrastructure were open to inspection to everybody.

They claimed that under the new system, the growers were empowered and got their due share of water on time.

They said that the growers of Sindh were in favour of the irrigation reforms and added that bureaucracy and feudalism should be done away with as the farmers need to be empowered and impoverishment of the irrigation system needed to be addressed.