HYDERABAD: Euphoria over availability of water for cultivation of paddy proved short-lived for tail-end grower Imran Khoso who after having sown the crop is back to square one since Badin is once again in the grip of water shortage like it does every year.

The shortage persists in spite of the fact that Indus river has had plenty of flows even during early Kharif, a period when farmers in lower Sindh need water to sow summer crops. The irrefutable evidence of availability of more than sufficient water in the system is that additional flows are continuously being released downstream Kotri barrage.

According to a Sukkur barrage official, who monitors water flows, downstream flows are indeed a positive sign. “If there are still complaints from tail-end reaches, it points to mismanagement in water distribution,” he says.

With three off-taking canals, Kotri barrage feeds large areas in Thatta, Badin, Sujawal and Tando Mohammad Khan districts besides catering to drinking water needs of large populations living in Hyderabad and the four districts. Water flows’ statistics reflect that downstream flows remained available on a constant level over the past couple of months.

Not only this, but even in the third week of March, Kotri barrage recorded downstream flows which was an indication of the fact that water requirements of all off-taking canals of Sukkur barrage had been met. “Notwithstanding this, water shortage or rotation programme is not understandable,” says the official.

People in Badin district, especially small and middle level growers, have always been at the receiving end in water distribution, especially when there is shortage at barrages. This time, there is no water shortage at barrages but the shortage persists which indicates mismanagement or water theft in the system.

“We have been able to grow paddy after a long time as our area water board chairman for left bank canals has put in extra efforts to make sure that water reaches our land,” Khoso told Dawn excitedlyin the first week of June at Arain regulator on New Phulelli canal of Kotri barrage.

The left bank canals area water board works under the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida). The boars is meant to promote participatory irrigation system but the Sida as a water regulator is yet to perform to its full potential, say growers. The irrigation system is still partly controlled by provincial irrigation department and Sida.

After having been lucky to sow his paddy crop in time, Khoso is now back to square one. “We have to use machines to lift water from our system. Farmers in the upper riparian areas have again installed pipes to lift water,” Khoso told this reporter a weeks later on June 24 over phone from Badin.

His land is fed by Sultani Wah of New Phulelli canal system that takes off from Arain regulator. New Phulelli has a designed discharge capacity of 14,350 cusecs but according to Kotri barrage in-charge Tariq Ursani, it is currently drawing 17,400 cusecs as on June 24. New Phulelli irrigates around 971,923 acres in Badin and Tando Mohammad Khan districts mainly.

Kabool Kahtian, incumbent chairman of the area water board who manages water distribution in water-starved Badin district, claimed that water situation had substantially changed after he had taken some measures.

“I had all illegal pipes removed first thing after I took charge and had close to 600 watercourses whose modules had been tampered with repaired,” he claimed.

“I admit there is till shortage but it is to a lesser degree. Dip-in flows were witnessed in the past few days at Kotri barrage in terms of flows which affected supplies,” he insisted.

The figures of flows at three barrages indicate Kotri barrage is having smooth flows as per ten daily allocation of each month. “As far as June’s third ten daily, we are in a better position insofar water flows for four canals are concerned. We are drawing more water than the allocation, otherwise the barrage usually witnesses shortage if the river flows are inadequate,” said Ursani.

A ten daily water allocation – water flows in the first, second and third ten days of each month – are defined in Water Apportionment Accord 1991 for Rabi and Kharif season. Kotri barrage, historically, has even witnessed 70 to 80pc water shortages during Kharif season over the past years.

“Over the past five to six months, we have had adequate flows. I recall there was water shortage in 2010 when even people from Balochistan staged a protest on July 31 at Sukkur barrage against water shortage,” said the Sukkur barrage official.

He referred to Mangla and Tarbela dams (Tarbela mainly provides water to Sindh) storage figures of this year and corresponding period of last year.

“Tarbela dam storage was 1394.61ft on April 1, 2019, and it was 1465.28ft on the same date this year. Likewise, Mangla dam storage was 1109.35ft on April 1, 2019, as against this year’s 1186.25 the same day,” he said.

According to him, sufficient water flows are due to rainfall in catchment areas and that is why Sindh has also received flows from Mangla dam which rarely, if ever, occurs. Tarbela’s maximum storage capacity is 1,550ft while Mangla’s is 1240ft.

Khuda Dino Shah, a farmers’ rights activists in Badin, said that they were going to readying to launch protest again as they were still not getting their share of water. Unless blockages in canals were removed, the situation would remain unchanged for Badin farmers, he said.

Shah and his colleagues have also been fighting a legal battle in Sindh High Court’s Hyderabad circuit bench for the past year to get their rightful share in water through the court.

Flows from New Phulelli are diverted to Akram Wah which has never been able to carry its sanctioned discharge of 4,200 cusecs due to a permanent design fault.

AWB director Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur said the situation would change in the days to come in Badin as “Sida is now working on Akram Wah’s rehabilitation in consultation with the World Bank,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2020