HYDERABAD: A large number of farmers from Badin district came to this city to stage a sit-in outside the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) secretariat. They held it responsible for unavailability of water to their lands.

The sit-in lasted about six hours during which they kept raising slogans against Sida, and accused it of diverting Phuleli Canal’s water at Alipur regulator to influential landowners. This, they said, was rendering their lands in the tail-end areas barren.

The protesting farmers demanded an immediate end to this illegal practice. They declared Sida “water terrorist”.

Responding to a call given by leaders of ‘Badin Zilo Bachayo Tehreek (Save Badin district movement)’, the farmers earlier proceeded to Hyderabad from different parts of Badin district and assembled at Liberty Chowk before marching to the Sida secretariat in a rally. They were led by Dr Noor Ahmed Talpur (convener) along with Qambar Ali Shah, Mir Parvez Arain, Naimat Khuhro and other farmers.

Demand for handing over regulator’s control to irrigation dept under consideration

Speaking to the participants, the leaders said that the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), Punjab and both the federal and Sindh governments had colluded to open link canals which had ultimately created a water shortage in Sindh.

They demanded that the entire irrigation system in Sindh be handed over to the provincial irrigation department. They also demanded removal of all illegally installed pipes from canals in order to check water theft. This would also help ensure a judicious distribution of water, they said.

The leaders said that tail-end growers were badly hit by the persisting water shortage as they were not able to cultivate summer crops. They said their lands were being rendered barren.

They pointed out that Badin district was known for producing quality rice but unavailability of water had put growers, farmers and peasants in a serious trouble. They demanded release of water to Badin district as per its share.

Sida chairman Abdul Basit Soomro held negotiations with the leaders and advised them to submit an application with him to seek transfer of Phuleli canal’s control to the irrigation department. He told them that Sida would then write to Sindh government in this regard.

According to Khuda Dino Shah, a member of the negotiating team, the Sida chairman sought one week’s time to look into the claim about diversion of flows from Alipur regulator and lowering of flows by one foot at this installation.

The Sida chairman was quoted as saying that a notification regarding handing over of the regulator to the executive engineer of Phuleli from the canal’s director would be issued by Tuesday (June 7). Mr Shah also quoted Mr Soomro as telling the negotiators that an equitable water distribution would hopefully be ensured within a week’s time.

Published in Dawn,June 7th, 2022