SUKKUR: Balochistan accused of taking more water than its share
Dawn Report
SUKKUR, June 27: The chief engineer of the Sukkur Barrage, Mr Nawaz Memon, has stressed the need for deployment of Rangers personnel following accusation of water theft by the Balochistan irrigation department. A few days back the superintendent engineer of the Balochistan irrigation department along with the levies force forcibly closed the Saifullah Magsi regulator originating from the Khirthar canal and opened spans of the Khirthar canal releasing more water for Balochistan than its due share.
Leaders of the Abadgar board, Qambar-Shahdadkot district, Mir Ehsan Mugheri and Ahmed Nawaz Magsi called upon the chief engineer Sukkur barrage and recorded their protest regarding theft of water by the Balochistan irrigation department.
They said due to more flow towards Balochistan no water was available in regulators due to which rice seed was destroyed.
The chief engineer informed the chairman of the IRSA and Sindh irrigation secretary and asked for deployment of Rangers.
LARKANA: The Sindh Abadgar Board has alleged that irrigation officials of Balochistan are taking more water than their share from the Grang regulator.
Talking to Dawn here on Monday, Shahdadkot SAB president Ishaq Mughiri said Balochistan was getting 25,650 cusecs of water from the regulator against its share of 22,000 cusecs.
He said the irrigation officials of Balochistan had started the practice from June 25 which had led to an acute shortage of water in watercourses in Shahdadkot and Qubo Saeed Khan talukas.
He said the Grang regulator served as a distribution point between Sindh and Balochistan.
Mr Mughiri said a delegation of the SAB on Monday met Sukkur Barrage Chief Engineer Mohammad Nawaz Memon and apprised him of the situation.
He said the delegation had called for installing the telemetry system at the regulator to ensure judicious distribution of water between Sindh and Balochistan.
He said an engineer of the Safiullah Branch, Bhai Khan Lakho, had visited the area and noticed that main gates of regulator had been tampered with.
Growers of Shahdadkot and Qubo Saeed Khan get water from Saifulah Magsi and Shahdadkot branches.
Mr Mughiri said almost all irrigation channels and small tributaries were not receiving the required water.
He feared that paddy nurseries at tail-ends of channels would die due to shortage of water. If the situation persisted, he apprehended, around 500,000 acres of cultivable land in the belt would be destroyed. He claimed that poisonous water discharged from Balochistan had already damaged thousands of acres of land in Shahdadkot.
The SAB delegation included Ishaq Mughiri, Qubo Saeed Khan Union Council Nazim Khalid Khoso, Mir Mithal Khan Mughiri, Mir Niaz Khoso and Ahmad Nawaz Hasrani.
