SANGHAR, Nov 20: Farmers’ organizations have said the Nara Canal Area Water Board is violating, misinterpreting and creating misconceptions about the Sindh Water Management Ordinance-2002.

They demanded that the FOs should be given powers granted to them under the ordinance.

Talking to journalists here on Thursday, Bakhoro sub-division Farmers’ Organization coordinator Khushi Mohammad and chairmen of several FOs said according to the ordinance, 22 area water boards (AWBs) were to be constituted which was to be followed by the formation of the FOs.

In the first phase, three AWBs — Nara, Ghotki and Left Bank — were formed, they said.

Chairmen of the FOs demanded that the ordinance should be implemented in letter and spirit.

Gulsher Rind and Riaz Ahmad Bajwa of the Chotiari Farmers’ Organization said under the ordinance, an FO had to operate and maintain parts of the irrigation system, ensure judicious distribution of water and guarantee drinking water supply.

They pointed out that according to the ordinance, the FOs would receive water from the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority or the AWB concerned at the head of a distributary or a minor.

He said to supply water to the Watercourse Association and other users or while making a water rotation schedule, the AWB/Sida had to obtain the consent of the FOs. But, they alleged, the irrigation department was violating the ordinance.

They said the executive engineer, Thar division, violated the rules by issuing a rotation schedule on Nov 3 for 40 channels in different sub-divisions. They said most of the channels were under the FOs.

They said the Sindh irrigation department had seized to exist in the Nara Canal circle but officials were not ready to recognize FOs.

They said the officials were trying to fail the system by reducing water supply to water channels being run by the FOs, closing canals without schedule and resorting to other methods.

Khushi Mohammad, a representative of an FO, alleged that a sub-engineer, Irshad Soomro, and SDO, Bakhoro sub-division, Iqbal Memon, were demanding Rs100,000 for each channel per month.

He said the irrigation officials extorted millions of rupees every year in the past and but they were deprived of the money after the FOs were formed.

Sida field team in-charge Munir Ahmad Mangrio and Sida social organizers Junaid Alam Memon and Waqar Hussain said the Sindh irrigation system had been destroyed by irrigation officials.

CANAL REOPENED: The irrigation officials of the Bakhoro sub- division released water into Chotiari Distributary on Wednesday night.