HYDERABAD: Low dischar­ges coupled with rotation system resorted to by the Kotri Barrage authorities have made things worse over the last several days for tail-end paddy growers in the command area of Pinyari (old Phuleli) Canal.

The non-perennial Pinyari Canal that takes off from Kotri Barrage’s left side feeds the areas up to Jati, in Sujawal — a district recently carved out from Thatta district.

The canal receives water flows only in summer season for paddy cultivation for six months but barrage sources confirmed that the rotation system was being given effect. The canal has a designed discharge of around 13,500 cusecs and currently 6,500 cusecs were available. In June, the Kotri Barrage faced a shortage of 40 per cent to 55pc.

Given the designed discharges, the water flows’ allocation remained inadequate for the canal. Initially, the shortage remained somewhat bearable during mid-May and during that period paddy growers prepared nurseries of their crop.

The crop is now to be transplanted in the fields for which sufficient flows are needed. Almost every paddy grower would go for transplantation simultaneously which means adequate irrigation water flows should remain available in the canal from the head regulator to the tail-end.

“This is not the case,” says a paddy grower from Jati, whose lands are located in the tail-end area of Pinyari Canal.

He pointed out that water shortage was being reported in Pinyari and more than three other canals off-taking the barrage. “We feel we are bearing the brunt of shortage more than anyone else,” he said.

The Pinyari Canal system is managed by the irrigation department whereas Kotri Barrage’s other non-perennial canal, Phuleli, is managed by the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida).

The other two canals are perennial. The Kalri Baghar (KB) Feeder and Akram Wah are managed by the irrigation department and Sida, respectively.

“We need around 40,000 cusecs to meet requirements of all canals during this period but we are getting lesser flows,” Kotri Barrage chief engineer Shafqat Wadhu maintains. He said that when flows were available in May, growers comfortably prepared their nurseries but now they were indeed facing problems at the time of transplantation of seedlings of their paddy crop. “This has necessitated rotation of canals in order to manage flows,” he said.

According to a former Sida managing director, the total cultivable command area of Kotri Barrage is around 3.08 million acres, inclusive of around 2.1 million acres under the command of non-perennial canals and 0.922 million acres under perennial canals’ systems.

Kotri Barrage has a large command area, of which KB Feeder and Pinyari canals cumulatively have, as per a safe estimate, a command area of 126,000 acres.

Today, the barrage’s upstream flow was 24,975 cusecs which is being distributed among four canals. The flows, according to irrigation officials’ estimates, may improve in case of monsoon rains and rise in temperature upstream river Indus.

The grower observed that rotation was being given effect in Pinyari Canal from head regulator to Daro branch and then from Daro downstream up to the Jati area for every six days. “We are getting water for three days in every 18 days. About 85pc of growers in this area have a landholding of 10-50 acres of land with no influence to approach anyone to seek remedy.”

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) leader Nabi Bux Satio seconded the Jati growers’ view, saying that inadequate flows have hit paddy transplantation especially in the tail-end areas.

While farmers having land at upper reaches are getting water as they are able to lift water from canals, the tail-end growers of the same system are being seriously affected, according to him. He said that downstream water users of Pinyari Canal were indeed facing serious issues in terms of water availability.

A Kotri Barrage official wishing not to be named said that tail-end farmers were not getting water as per their requirement but it was not correct to say that water was simply unavailable. “Upper riparian gets full flows at the cost of tail-end growers and it is quite difficult to control every single water user. Everyone wants to have full supply for maximum cultivation,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2019