02 January 2005	Sunday	20 Ziqa'ad 1425

SUKKUR, Jan 1: The off-taking canals of the Sukkur Barrage -- Kheerthar, Rice, Dadu, Nara and Rohri canals and Khairpur West and East feeders -- will remain closed from January 1 to 25, according to the barrage authorities.

The canals remain closed from January 5 to January 20 every year for annual slit clearing but this year the period has been extended by 10 days as the Frontier Works Organization and army are engaged in repair work of the barrage.

Due to the longer canal closure, a shortage of drinking water is bound to occur in Sukkur city.

Though the barrage authorities have written a letter to the district government, asking it to make alternate arrangements of water supply, no alternate arrangements have been made so far.

ELECTROCUTED: A teenage boy was electrocuted to death and his two companions were injured after sustaining current from an electric pole in Khairpur Nathan Shah, Dadu district, on Friday.

Azizullah, Nisar Ahmed and Noorullah were going somewhere. Azizullah touched the pole and sustained current. The two others tried to save him.

Azizullah was electrocuted to death and Nisar Ahmed and Noorullah were injured and taken to the taluka hospital.

CHANNELS: Sindh on-farm water management managing director Shaukat Rahmoo has said 164 water channels have been handed over to farmers of various areas.

He said the remaining 340 channels would be handed over to farmers in the next two years after which the entire watercourse system would be in the hands of farmers.

He was speaking a ceremony held to hand over 12 channels to farmers in Ghotki on Wednesday.

Mr Rahmoo said a farmers' board under the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority, with the responsibility to maintain watercourses and supply water to growers according to their share, had also been constituted.