BADIN: Traders observed a complete shutdown strike in Kadhan town in solidarity with farmers who staged a 25-kilometre long march on foot from the town to Badin on Sunday to register protest against ‘artificial’ shortage of water in the tail-end district.

The farmers’ leaders Khalil Ahmed Bhurgari, Azizullah Dero, Mir Noor Ahmed Talpur and others told journalists during the daylong march and demonstration they staged after reaching Badin Press Club that Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) and irrigation department officials were directly involved in the crisis since they had erected blockages in canals to divert water to flood canals which irrigated lands of influential persons.

They said the officials helped steal water at the expense of over a million population living in tail-end and coastal areas. Sindh government had turned a blind eye to the people who were forced to drink highly contaminated water and the farmers’ plight despite their continuous protests, they said.

They demanded immediate removal of Sida director Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur and other officials, who had committed ‘robbery’ on their share of water. “It is sheer callousness that influential people are getting ample water while we do not even have water for drinking,” they said.

Traders observe shutdown

They warned they would expand their protest if their demands were not met immediately. The committee formed for investigating diversions in canals and resolving farmers’ problems was just an attempt on the part of Sida and irrigation department officials to buy time, they said.

MIRPURKHAS: The ongoing water shortage, particularly in the command area of Lower Nara canal, has severely hit sowing of cotton and chili crops in Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Umerkot and parts of Tharparkar.

Sources in the irrigation department said that chief engineer had reduced water supply into Nara canal from 6,500 cusec to 5,600 cusec, which would further add to farmers’ difficulties.

The sources said that irrigation engineers were planning to extend duration of rotation programme from one week to two weeks.

Farmer organisations’ office-bearers blamed the irrigation department for creating artificial shortage in the tail-end areas and demanded Sindh chief minister, governor and other authorities concerned take notice of nagging water shortage in Nara canal to ensure sowing of cotton and chili crops in the tail-end areas.

KHAIRPUR: Members of Sindhi Hari Committee and a large number of growers took out a rally here on Sunday, demanding increase in support price of wheat crop.

Mir Munawwar Talpur, Ashiq Qureshi, comrade Mohammad Saleh and others, who led the rally, said that official rate of wheat had not been raised for the past 10 years while prices of seed, pesticides, fertilisers and agricultural implements had gone through the roof. Besides, the grain traders were not paying adequate price for wheat to growers, they said.

They demanded the chief minister review the support price and raise it from Rs1,300 per 40 kg to Rs1,600.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2019