MIRPURKHAS: Hun-dreds of farmers and landowners on motorcycles, rickshaws, cars, trucks, mini-trucks, pickups and tractor-trolleys took out a procession from Naukot to Mirpurkhas on Wednesday to protest unjust distribution of water, corruption in irrigation department and ‘artificial’ shortage of water in tail-end areas of Nara, Jamrao and Mithrao canals.

The procession led by Prof Mohammad Yousuf Rajput, Mir Ajaz Talpur, Ausaf Rasool Shah, Zahid Noon and Arbab Anwer was welcomed by general public as it began from Naukot and passed through Jhuddo, Digri, Tando Jan Mohammad, Mirwah Gorchani before converging on Jamrao Canal bridge on Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas road where they pitched a tent in the middle of the road to block it for traffic.

The protesters’ leaders told media persons that they had been protesting for past 15 days but no responsible government functionary was ready to listen to their grievances and resolve their nagging problems.

They said that the sanctioned quantity of water was released into Nara, Jamrao and Mithrao canals but corrupt officials sold it off to influential landlords in return for heavy bribes.

Consequently, irrigation subdivisions of Naukot, Digri, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Sindhri and Mirpurkhas talukas as well as reservoirs of water supply schemes in several towns were deprived of their share of water, causing acute shortage of the commodity for humans as well as animals, they said.

They said that standing crops of cotton, chili, onion, sugar cane and vegetables were drying up without water. Corrupt officers of Nara Canal Area Water Board, who were also involved in water theft, were selling water to influential landlords after receiving hefty bribes, they said.

They demanded the government ensure supply of water till tail-end areas, stop water theft and punish corrupt irrigation officers, otherwise they would continue the protest campaign till the acceptance of their demands.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2024