EARLY Kharif sowing in the lower Sindh region has primarily been hit by poor river water flows. In first ten days of May, 12,300 cusec of water was to be made available daily at Kotri barrage upstream but it was just 7010 cusec, while on May 9 the discharge downstream was almost zero.

Kharif sowing in the command areas of Kotri barrage starts in April. In some areas it begins even in March. As per initial estimates of the provincial Crop Reporting Service, there was no early sowing of Kharif crops from April 1 to April 15.

According to an official of the service, cotton is now being cultivated in upper Sindh and in some areas of lower Sindh where water is available.

The command area of Kotri barrage is known for production of cotton, sugarcane and paddy. Usually, during early Kharif season around 800,000- 900,000 acres are brought under cultivation of various crops in Thatta, Badin, parts of Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts.

These areas were badly hit during last year’s rains where Kharif crops were destroyed. In many places, growers couldn’t cultivate Rabi crops as their farms remained inundated by rainwater.

During a recent visit to Kunri area of Umerkot by this scribe, he was told that around 5,000 acres still remained inundated by rainwater. The situation has created frustration among growers. The land remained submerged as there is no drainage system. The fields remained covered with stagnant water and consequently the farmers could not cultivate Kharif crops.

Last year 150,000 acres in parts of Sujawal and Mirpur Bathoro in Thatta district were brought under cotton cultivation.

But this year so far the crop has been sown on 20,000-25,000 acres there. By July and August growers start picking cotton sown in March.

Nurseries are also being prepared for paddy cultivation. Paddy cultivation is banned in some areas fed by perennial canals of Kotri barrage but influential farmers manage to grow the crop despite the ban. Non-availability of water is also going to affect sugarcane in the area. Grown during autumn, sugarcane needs regular water supply.

A cane grower Haji Nadeem Shah points out that non-availability of water has started affecting the cane crop. “The top of the cane is drying and if water shortage persists, the crop would be affected seriously,” he says. The farmers could not grow cane during autumn as lands remained submerged under rainwater. The sowing in some areas was delayed and subsequently growers cultivated the crop in the spring season (February).

Sindh’s farmers also complain that the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has allowed Punjab to divert 2,000 cusec of water from the Greater Thal Canal (GTC) through Chashma-Jhelum link.

Farmers here believe that Sindh, being lower riparian partner, has the right to use Indus water first. It always makes Sindh uncomfortable when the Mangla Dam is filled at a time when Sindh is in most need of water for early Kharif sowing in the first and second week of April. Sindh growers argue that Punjab has now started early sowing although early Kharif sowing pattern climatically favours the lower Sindh region.

“We demand that Punjab at least should avoid storing or blocking water till April 20 and let the flows reach Guddu upstream so that farmers can cultivate their early Kharif crops,” argues Majeed Nizamani, president Sindh Abadgar Board. It is not only the Kotri barrage’s command area where Kharif crops are sown early, lands in Naseer division of Sukkur barrage (on its left side) has also similar practice. These areas are irrigated by water system of Bukera and Khairpur Ghamboh, Jamrao and Mithrao.

According to an Irsa estimate of May 7, the major decline in river flows had forced it to reduce shares of Punjab and Sindh by 45 per cent with immediate effect. The total water flows in rivers had suddenly dropped to 119,000 cusecs from about 160,000 cusecs a week ago because of a fall in temperatures at Skardu — the main source of River Indus. Amidst such water shortages, rotation programme is also adding to farmers’ worries.