09 January 2005	Sunday	27 Ziqa'ad 1425

BADIN, Jan 8: Residents of Badin city are facing a shortage of drinking water in the wake of shrinking water reservoirs. Sources said there was no water available to meet the demand of four days.

They said if water was not supplied immediately in the Kazia canal the entire city would face water scarcity.

Meanwhile, DCO Mumtaz Shah assured the residents that water would be released soon.

An irrigation department official said that situation could continue for one week following annual closure in the canals.

At present, the hard hit localities are Ittefaq colony, cattle colony, Hashim Khaskheli Muhallo and Rahim Dino Soomro village.

SCA: Representatives of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, Badin district, have demanded that President Pervez Musharraf should release special package for calamity-hit people of Badin and Thatta districts.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, Mohammad Khan Sarijo, Shah Mohammad Shah and Abdul Karim Junejo said that farmers of calamity-hit areas deserved a special package as they had become bankrupt due to periodic calamities.