BADIN: The 19-member technical committee formed by the Sindh government to collect facts about water shortage in Badin informed the deputy commissioner that it was unable to submit its report as it could not complete the job. It demanded three more months to accomplish the task.

Idris Rajput, the head of the committee, told a meeting in the Darbar Hall of the DC Office that members of the committee along with water experts discussed the issue with stakeholders and were currently visiting the spots where blockages were reported.

The meeting, chaired by DC Dr Hafeez Siyal was attended by officials of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) and irrigation department posted in the district.

Mr Rajput quoted a Sida official as stating that blockages were erected to “regulate” flow of water. However, he said, leaders of growers’ action committee rejected the claims.

“Let’s see whether water reaches the tail-end areas once the canals are provided with the required quantity of water during the crop cultivation of Kharif season,” he told the meeting.

He said that during the next three months, flows would be regulated to assess the situation in the entire district. He held out the assurance that no more lands within the command area of Sukkur Barrage would be provided water from Akram Wah and Phuleli Canal.

Mr Rajput advised Save Badin Action Committee leaders to move court against functioning of flood canals, and pointed out that all flood canals were illegal. One of them, Mallah minor, had very recently been declared illegal by the Sindh High Court, he added.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2019