PROTESTS by farmers against water shortages in the tail-end reaches of the Sukkur and Kotri barrages, despite satisfactory water flows in the two barrages, have exposed continuing mismanagement in the distribution of water within Sindh.

Irrigation officials say the water flows exceed the levels agreed under the Water Apportionment Accord 1991, largely due to unusual rainfall in the upper catchments.

Statistics show that Sindh received a flow of 77,600 cusecs at the Guddu Barrage — the first barrage over Indus in Sindh — from May 1 to May 10, against its allocation of 51,780 cusecs. Official figures also show that the Nara and Rohri canals of the Sukkur Barrage drew more water than their allocated share in the first 10 days of May.

Sindh is not able to meet the water needs of its tail-end growers during early kharif sowing

The Sukkur Barrage, with seven off-taking canals, irrigates large swathes of agricultural land in the upper and lower regions of the province.

The Nara Canal, which reaches up to Mithi, drew 12,850 cusecs of water, and Rohri 13,400 cusecs, in the period. That compared with their respective allocations of 12,300 and 12,266 cusecs. Similarly, Guddu Barrage had received higher-than-normal flows in April.

Nonetheless, Sindh is not able to meet the water needs of its tail-end growers during the early kharif sowing period. While enough water is available in the Indus, the barrages’ off-taking canals and at the head regulators of different branches and minors, the irrigation water is still not reaching the tail-end farms. This is due to the dilapidated irrigation infrastructure, as well as corruption, political influence and mismanaged internal distribution.

Farmers in lower Sindh, who are supplied by canals drawing water from the Kotri and Sukkur barrages, go for the early sowing of cotton, chillies and sugarcane in March and April. And they are complaining about the shortage of water. The situation is no different in case of the Kotri Barrage’s lower reaches in Badin and Thatta districts.

Arbab Jabbar and Sohail Ashraf, whose lands are located in the command area of the Ran distributary in the Nara canal system, hardly get any water.

“We depend more on tube-wells or rainfall than on any supplies from irrigation officers during the kharif season. We have no hope of getting water from the irrigation department, which supports influential people who have lands upstream of our canal system,” says Ashraf.

Small growers who cannot afford tube-wells sit idle and rely on rainfall. According to Ashraf, operating tube-wells raises the cost of production, while the low quality of groundwater reduces crop yields. Farmers spend Rs25,000 per acre on cotton cultivation. But in case of no rainfalls and non-availability of canal water, they hardly recover their cost of production.

In case of the Ran distributary, which runs for 22 miles and irrigates around 35,000-40,000 acres of land, irrigation water is available only in its upper reaches of six miles. The farmers whose lands are located after six miles don’t get any water, be it during kharif or the rabi season.

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, May 18th, 2015

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