February 26, 2008	Tuesday	Safar 18, 1429

KHAIRPUR, Feb 25: A large number of growers staged demonstrations for the second consecutive day on Monday in Thari Mirwah, Faiz Ganj and Kotdiji talukas in protest against shortage of irrigation water.

In Thari Mirwah, the protesting growers and their leaders Mehmood Phull and Gul Mohammad said that there was no water in Mirwah Canal in the crucial months of February and March when wheat crop highly depended on water.They were force to make alternate arrangements for watering their crops through private tube-wells even though they had to pay abiyana (water tax) as well.

Growers in Faiz Ganj said during a demonstration that their taluka was at the tail-end of Mirwah Canal, hence it received very little water. There was no water in the canals and minors of the taluka. Mohammad Sachal, Aijaz Hussain and Mir Mohammad Brohi told journalists that the irrigation system had collapsed due to shortage of water since last 15 years.

In Kotdiji, growers led by the general secretary of Abadgars Ittehad, Faqir Niaz Bhambhro, staged a demonstration and said that the shortage would also affect the production of banana and mangoes besides wheat crop.

A delegation of civil society and growers of Khairpur led by general secretary of Khairpur District Bar Association Abdul Qayoom Shaikh also protested on Monday.

They said that Khairpur and its adjoining towns including Kotdiji, Kot Bungalow and Hussainabad had no drinking water due to closure of irrigation channels.