MIRPURKHAS: Members of the Mirpurkhas District Council accused irrigation department officials on Wednesday of selling water instead of supplying it to growers.

The officials used the pretext of rotation programme to maximise profits from corruption, the members also alleged.

They said the creation of artificial shortage of water at the tail-end of waterways was nothing but ‘economic murder’ of farmers. Water was not even being supplied to water supply schemes of the city and resultantly, water shortage also persisted in the city of Mir­purkhas, said the members inclu­ding Khadim Hussain Beh­rani, Yar Mohammad Baloch, Kan­ji Mal Bheel, Mumtaz Jarwar, Tan­veer Ahmed Randhawa and Asg­har Ali Shah.

They were speaking at a meeting of the district council held here in the Ghulam Nabi Shah Hall presided over by its Chairman Mir Anwer Ali Khan Talpur.

On the occasion, members complained about failure of officers in desilting of the LBOD drains in Mirpurkhas district, acute shortage of irrigation water in Nara Canal, injudicious distribution of water, sale of water by lower-grade irrigation staff, no legal action against people cultivating paddy crop despite a ban in the district, failure in recovery of abiana tax, non-supply of irrigation water at tail-end areas for drinking and weak rotation programme schedule.

About the absence of the Nara Canal director and other engineers from the meeting, the chairman and members took serious notice and expressed their anguish and disappointment. They would write to the higher authorities in this regard, they resolved.

They said 984,000 acres of agricultural land was cultivated with irrigation water of East and West Jamrao Canal which had 63 distributaries and minors and 129 direct outlets. Despite this, they regretted, the tail-end abadgars were compelled to sell their lands because they had no water for irrigation.

They alleged that over 300 water pumping machines were installed at the head of the Nara Canal for ‘stealing’ irrigation water.

They said that 18,000 cusecs water was designed approval of Nara Canal but due to shortage, it was taking about 13,000 cusecs. As a result acute water shortage persisted in the lower Nara Canal command area.

The members demanded setting up a committee of members of the district council to ensure judicious distribution of irrigation water, removal of buffalo ranches across Jarwary Shakh and desilting of that channel.

Speaking at the meeting, Chairman Mir Anwer Ali Khan Talpur said agriculture was the backbone of the economy of the country, but unfortunately due to continuous shortage of water, it was being broken.

Jhuddo town shut in protest

A complete strike was observed in Jhuddo town, 73km from here on Wednesday, in response to a call for protest by the Tail Abadgar Association against acute shortage of water for the past three months.

All markets and bazaars remained shuttered as hundreds of growers and members of general public took out a rally in the town under the banner of Tail Abadgar Association.

The protesters led by Ismail Kambo, Khalid Arain, Abdullah Khoso and others raised slogans against executive engineer of Jamrao Canal and sub-divisional officer of Kot Ghulam Mohammad irrigation subdivision.

The protesters’ leaders told journalists that the ‘corrupt’ irrigation officers were selling their share of water to influential landlords by tempering with watercourses and allowing them to set up direct outlets.

As a result, they said, they had not received water for the past three months and people in both rural areas and Jhuddo town had been deprived of drinking water. Besides, they were not able to sow Kharif crops.

They demanded the Sindh government immediately replace the ‘corrupt’ officers who were responsible for the acute shortage of water.

They warned if water was not supplied immediately they would launch a protest campaign against the officers of irrigation department in the district.

They urged the government to take notice of their protest and ensure supply of water to their areas for drinking purposes as well as for irrigating land.

Pangrio shutdown

A complete shutdown was observed in Pangrio town, 53km from here on Wednesday, in response to a call for protest by local chapters of political parties and farmers organisations against a nagging water crisis in the area for the past several months, adds our Badin Correspondent.

All shops, bazaars and business centres remained shuttered as enraged protesters burnt tyres on Tando Bago-Jhuddo Road and staged a sit-in outside the press club for four hours.

The protesters’ leaders Raza Mohammad Khoso, Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam, Asif Ali Arain and others alleged that an executive engineer of the irrigation department was selling to influential landlords their share in the water of Shadi Small Wah, which was fed by Akram Wah and irrigated their lands.

They said their waterways had dried up and standing crops had already withered away due to acute shortage of water, leaving them unable to cultivate Kharif crops.

They demanded removal of errant officials and immediate release of their share of water.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2017