July 07, 2006	Friday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 10, 1427

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KARACHI, July 6: Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto has expressed concern over water shortage in Sindh.

She called for urgent remedial measures on a war footing.

In a statement issued by the media cell at the Bilawal House on Thursday, the former prime minister said that there was an acute water shortage in Larkana, Warah and Garilo.

She condemned the regime’s continued apathy to address the problem despite protests by farmers.

“Hundreds of farmers in Larkana, Warah and Garilo took out processions in protest against water shortage that is threatening to destroy their crop”, she said.

She said that such steps were indicative of the regime’s plans to ruin agriculture in Sindh by creating an artificial shortage of water.

Benazir said that farmers across Sindh had complained that water was deliberately not provided to rice-growing regions of the province particularly at the time of sowing when water was needed the most.

Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Ghotki and Dadu districts are the main rice growing areas in the province.

Long hours of load-shedding on the daily basis have further compounded the problem as shortage of power has rendered tube-wells idle.

Benazir said that unfortunately the water issue in Pakistan had not been tackled properly.

The water problem in Pakistan could be resolved by building small dams and lining canals in the country as contained in the water report prepared during the PPP government, she said.