May 1, 2006	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 2, 1427

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SUKKUR, April 30: More than 50 per cent water shortage is being experienced at Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri barrages of Sindh. Sources in the Sindh irrigation department said that if the shortage persisted, it would have disastrous affect on the Kharif crops of cotton, rice and sugarcane.

They said that there was 50 per cent less water despite the fact that six canals which take water from Guddu and Sukkur had been closed.

They said the situation would get worse when these canals would be reopened in the first week of May.

They said that the shortage would ease somewhat in a couple of days when 55,000 cusecs water would be released from the Chasma barrage on April 28.

They said that upstream and downstream water at Guddu remain at 27,900 cusecs and at Sukkur upstream was 25,900 cusecs and downstream was 5,000 cusecs.

While at Kotri upstream it was 2,800 cusecs.

No water is being released below Kotri.

They said that four canals which require 31,000 cusecs water were taking 20,900 cusecs from Sukkur, 10,000 cusecs less.

The situation may worsen after the three canals which take water from Guddu are reopened in a couple of days.

At present, the three canals are closed due to annual closure while canals of the Taunsa barrage are also closed due to repair work.

When they are reopened it will create serious shortage of water at Sukkur.

PROTEST: Scores of people belonging to different localities of the city held demonstration and a sit-in on the Sukkur-Shikarpur Road on Sunday in protest against scarcity of drinking water.

Residents of Madina Colony, Allahabad colony, Islam colony, Agha Badaruddin colony, Pathan colony and other areas chanted slogans against district and taluka governments.

They said that the district and taluka administrations had failed to supply drinking water to them.

Ghulam Mohammad Ruk and Imam Bux Dahar said that their localities had been without water since ten days.

As if it was not enough the drainage system too had collapsed making it even more unbearable for people to carry on with their daily lives, they said.

They warned they would stage a sit-in outside the DCO offices if their demands were not met within 24 hours.