MIRPURKHAS: About 300,000 population in Jhuddo town have been deprived of tap water for past couple of weeks, forcing people to buy costly water cans and bottles to meet their daily needs.

The town’s social workers and growers, Khalid Arain, Shahjahan Shah, Jameel Arain, Ghulam Rasool Mugheri and others complained to local media persons that the minors supplying water to their town were running dry due to ongoing rotation programme for Nara Canal, hence no water for reservoirs of the town’s water supply network.

They said the town had been grappling with acute shortage of water for past few weeks and attributed the problem to unabated theft of water being committed by big landlords in connivance with corrupt irrigation officials, who were supplying the already scarce commodity to farmlands at the expense of humans.

They claimed that armed henchmen of big landlords in connivance with corrupt irrigation officials had stopped water supply to tail-end of Buggi minor near Dajero Mori with the help of a tractor. No one dared intervene and even officers concerned were avoiding action against the culprits, they said.

They demanded Sindh chief minister, secretary of irrigation, director of Nara Canal and others ensure supply of water was resumed to the minor without further delay and legal action was taken against the landlords and their henchmen involved in this serious crime.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2024