MIRPURKHAS/HYDER­ABAD: Rangers troops arrived in the command area of Nara Canal on Satur­day to provide security and help officials of irrigation department eliminate theft of water, arrest water thieves and implement rotation programme.

Nara Canal Area Water Board’s director Mansoor Ahmed Memon had made the request to Sindh government to deploy Rangers personnel at channels of Jamrao, Mithrao and Thar divisions after armed men attacked a monitoring team of irrigation department in Sindhri taluka on May 2 and Sanghar.

The team members came under attack when they were trying to remove pipes being used for theft of water. A number of officials had sustained minor injuries in the attack. Later, a suspect was deta­ined by police. A similar incident took place in Khadro subdivision, Sanghar district, in which miscreants harassed an irrigation team.

Rangers’ personnel led by a DSP started patrolling water channels in Digri taluka along with SDO of irrigation Akhtar Khaskheli, Digri DSP Mir Aftab Talpur and SHO of Digri Aftab Rind at the Mureed minor, Gorchani minor and other channels.

Tail-end Abadgar Association Nara Canal’s president Mohammad Ali Bhurgari and others told Dawn that the deployment of Rangers would benefit tail-end growers as the area’s feudal lords and their armed henchmen were forcibly stealing water through pipes and pumping machines.

They deplored that influential landlords tampered with watercourses to deprive tail-end growers of their right. Cotton, chili, sugar cane and other crops were drying without water in the tail-end areas of Nara Canal, they said.

They said that Rangers’ arrival had created panic among the feudal lords and influential persons who were involved in water theft and now their henchmen were silently removing the illegal pipes and pumping machines.

Hyderabad commissioner also seeks Rangers’ deployment

Hyderabad commissioner has also sought deployment of Rangers in the command area of Rohri Can­al in the wake of request by superintending engineer Zaheer Memon.

He said that rotation programme had been enforced in Rohri Canal’s command area as per Section 27-C of Irrigation Act 1879 due to water shortage in Indus river. Incidents of unauthorised and forcible diversion of water and theft were also being reported frequently by sub-divisional officers concerned, particularly in Naseer and Hala irrigation division as well as Nusrat and Dad divisions, her said.

He said that there were reports of intimidation, harassment and obstruction in effective implementation of rotation programme on direct outlets and off-taking canals which ultimately led to shortage of water in tail-end.

He, therefore, requested that Pakistan Rangers be deployed within the jurisdiction of Rohri Canal circle to provide assistance to field staff in order to enable them to ensure uninterrupted and equitable distribution of water.

Meanwhile, an irrigation official Mazhar Ali lodged an FIR at Shahpur police in Matiari district on Friday about theft of water. According to the SE, an irrigation team led by Tariq Kehar, executive engineer, came under attack by members of Chutto and Channa community who were using illegal pipes to sell water. One of the staffers received minor injuries and a watchman was detained by the attackers while Tariq Kehar and other staff members left the area immediately, he said.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2022