BADIN: Growers on Tuesday again staged demonstrations in various districts to register their protest against unavailability of water in their respective water channels.

They blocked the Hyderabad-Golarchi road at Jarki bus stop near Kario Ghanwar town for many hours to register their protest against what they called an artificial water crisis in their areas. They also staged a sit-in on the Karachi-Badin road at Mourjhar bus stop to show their anger and indignation against officials of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) and irrigation department for failing to provide them with due share of water for paddy cultivation.

Due to severe water crisis in the areas, rice seedlings getting mature were withering away, they said and vowed to continue their protest if their demands were not met.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Save Badin Action Committee told local journalists that irrigation officials were least interested in just distribution of water in many parts of the district despite assurances held out by the top officials and lawmakers from Badin that all the tail-end areas of the district would get required water by July 20.

Mir Noor Ahmed Talpur, Khalil Ahmed Bhurgari, Syed Khuda Dino Shah and Azizullah Dero said that they were in contact with farmers and other stakeholders to get ready for the “decisive” movement against corrupt and inefficient officials. They said they would not hesitate to use all peaceful means to register their protest by giving a lockdown call in all the big and small towns of the district for an indefinite period of time.

They hoped that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders would also join them in their protest.

They said that some forces were still busy trying to save the “controversial” Sida director, who according to them was behind the mess created in the district.

During a public hearing (open katchehri) in Bilawal Bhutto Park on Monday in Tando Bago town, some PPP leaders as well as the deputy commissioner of Badin and other officials assured farmers of the district that they would get their due share of water.

Speaking on the occasion, PPP MNA Mir Ghulam Ali Khan Talpur said that the party leadership was fully aware of the problems of the common people of the district.

As per commitment with the leaders of farmers, all possible efforts were being made to provide water to every tail-end farmer for crop cultivation before July 20.

Mr Talpur said development schemes had hit snags due to “step-motherly treatment” being meted out to the provincial government by the federal government. He said that Tando Bago town would get a modern National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) unit from the Sindh government, which was earlier sanctioned to be established in Matli town.

“The people of Matli town and its other areas can have easy access to the NICVD unit already set up in Tando Mohammad Khan. So I am trying to get the new one shifted to Tando Bago town,” he added.

Badin DC Hafeez Ahmed Siyal said that he was himself supervising water distribution as well as regulation in the canals of the district. He asked the participants of the gathering to directly contact him or any other officials concerned with regard to the issues of their respective areas.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2019