MIRPURKHAS: The Mirpurkhas chapter of Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) on Tuesday expressed it serious concern over a two-month extension in the closure of West Jamrao canal “without any valid reason”.

SAB Mirpurkhas president Mohammad Umer Bughio and other leaders including Mansoor Cheema and Haji Malook Rajar speaking to the media said closure of the canal for three months would devastate the lands fed through the canal.

This would cause heavy losses to growers of the area, they moaned, and announced that a vigorous drive would be launched against irrigation department’s move.

They pointed out that the West Jamrao canal was closed for a month during the annual cleaning of Nara canal in January. Although water was released in canals in the first week of February, still flows did not reach the tail-end areas of West Jamrao canal, they said. In this situation, they argued, another two-month closure would deprive them of their next crops, particularly wheat.

They said not only cultivation of crops on around 250,000 acres in the district would not be possible, but the mango crop to be cultivated on around 150,000 acres would also suffer badly. Besides, scarcity of drinking water would hit the district, they added.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2021