HYDERABAD: The tail-end growers of the Rohri Canal system staged a sit-in outside the executive engineer of Naseer Canal office in Saddar area on Friday in protest against non-availability of water flows to their fields. Farmers are having zero tillage for the time being although early Kharif season is passing fast.

The growers led by Pir Bux Hashmani and others were protesting against non-availability of water flows in the tail-end regions of the Rohri Canal system in spite of the fact that the canal was having 12,000 cusecs of water until May 3, which is almost 80 per cent of its designed discharge ie 16,000 cusecs. “We are having zero tillage in our areas fed by the Naseer Canal system,” said Mr Hashmani.

Rohri Canal is a perennial canal of Sukkur Barrage on the left bank of the Indus that feeds areas up to Badin district through its Dad, Nusrat, Hala and Naseer canal divisions. Sindh’s politically influential and elite own lands in the Rohri Canal’s command areas.

Irrigation officials believed altho­ugh Sindh was not getting indented supplies right now at Chashma Barrage, but water flows were still better when compared with last year. Sindh’s current indent was 80,000 cusecs, but it was provided 73,000 cusecs. With inclusion of travelling losses’ percentage, these flows would decrease further.

“We believe as compared with last year we are getting better flows at this point of time and it is entirely mismanagement in the irrigation system that cries from farmers of lower Sindh continue endlessly,” said an official from Sukkur Barrage that feeds large swathes of Sindh on right and left banks of the Indus.

According to Mr Hashmani, they were told that 50pc water rotation was being claimed, which was unrealistic. “Again the Naseer Canal’s Khairpur Gamboh subdivi­sion is being badly affected whereas two other subdivisions — Chang and Tando Allahyar — are getting the required water flows. Upper riparian in these areas are comfortable with water availability and it is only tail-enders like us who bear the brunt of water shortage unnecessarily,” he said. Khairpur Gamboh was the last subdivision of Naseer Canal.

He remarked that XEN Shoaib Samoon was not willing to respond to the protesting farmers who were staging a sit-in outside his office. He said that situation was worsening as Kharif season was passing fast. “Early Kharif has almost gone for us,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2019