MIRPURKHAS: The district and all the towns falling within its jurisdiction are facing acute shortage of water even for drinking purposes in the wake of stoppage of water supplies in Nara Canal for annual maintenance and desilting.

Sources said that officials at water supply schemes in the towns failed to store required quantity of water in reservoirs as the Nara Canal was closed earlier than its scheduled date of closure on Jan 6.

The canal was closed on Dec 26, 2024, about 12 days earlier than the scheduled date, hence water supply schemes’ reservoirs in Mirpurkhas, Digri, Mirwah Gorchani, Tando Jan Mohammad, Jhuddo, Naukot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Sindhri, Hingorno, Phuladiy-yoon, Jhilori, Khaan etc could not be filled, said the sources.

Large populations in the district were deprived of water amid severe scarcity of the essential commodity, forcing people to buy drinking water from local markets and purchasing water from tankers for daily use at exorbitant rates, they said.

In Mirpurkhas city, fire brigade tankers were seen busy supplying water to bungalows of influential persons and also selling water.

Social workers Fahad Malak, Sohail Ahmed, Akbar Khan and others alleged that tanker mafia was fleecing citizens who were compelled to buy water while poor people were deprived forced to get water from hand-pumps and wells.

They said that contaminated water and that too in small quantity was supplied to the city a week ago. The filthy water made a big population, especially women and children, contract waterborne diseases, they said.

They deplored that Municipal Corporation Mirpurkhas’ mayor Abdul Raoof Ghori did not take appropriate steps to resolve present crisis and ensure supply of water to people through tankers free of cost.

They strongly condemned the mayor and demanded the government replace him as he had lost trust of citizens.

Leaders of growers’ associations, including Khalid Arain, Mohammad Ismail, Imamuddin Mahar and others condemned the irrigation department for cheating with growers and citizens. The uncalled for shortage of water had caused a sense of deprivation among people, they said.

They alleged that standing crops of wheat and onion suffered damage in the absence of water and if water was not supplied to crops immediately their crops would be destroyed on a large scale and it would deal a severe blow to farmers and wheat production target.

They urged higher authorities to take notice of the problem immediately and ensure supply of water from Nara Canal to save wheat and other crops.

Sindh Abadgar Ittihad president Chodhry Saifullah Gill said at a press conference at Digri press club on Sunday that water stoppage to the district had devastated wheat, onion and other crops and urged the government to give relief to the affected farmers in the payment of agricultural taxes and loans.

He feared the water shortage would cause 25-30 maunds per acre wheat production to drop to 10 to 15 maunds only. The water might reach tail-end of the Nara Canal by Feb 20 and till then their crops would be completely destroyed, he cautioned.

An officer of irrigation department said that water supply had been closed from Sukkur Barrage and hoped as soon as the supply resumed water would be made available to save the crops.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025