LARKANA: Sudden reduction in water levels for Saifullah Magsi and Shahdadkot branches, which irrigate around 200,000 acre paddy fields in Qambar-Shahdadkot, has led to the dying up of paddy seedlings in the district.

Talking to Dawn the other day, Mir Abdul Khaliq Khoso, president of the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) Qambar-Shahdadkot district, claimed that Saifullah Magsi Branch has the discharge capacity of 1,970 cusecs and SKT (Shahdadkot) Branch of 2,200 cusecs.

According to him, both were flowing in the bottom where the helpless growers were waiting to witness rise in water to save the recently-planted paddy seedlings. Water was quite enough initially when happy growers and tillers prepared paddy nurseries and continued transplantation.

But unexpected receding of water in both big irrigation channels raised the eyebrows of the cultivators who relied only on single crop (rice) which they reap annually, he said.

He alleged that irrigation officials were showing water levels in books as per the prescribed flow, but on ground water was drastically decreased, posing a threat to the rece­ntly-transplanted paddy.

The SAB chief complained that repeated approaches to the concerned engineers failed to bear any results. They more often came out with the version that it was due to the fear of extensive rains that water is not released in the channel, he said. This is lame excuse, he believed.

He said extensive desilting of North Western Canal and Khirthar from Garang Regulator (a distribution point between Sindh and Balochistan) to RD-102 of Safiullah Magsi Branch was carried out with the cost of Rs4 billion. But abadgars are here to reap the benefit of the desilting, Khoso added.

He said a big population in this belt relies on irrigation water to meet drinking requirements and feed domestic animals. But negative marking is that sub-soil water is highly brackish which if people consume would face liver and water borne diseases. Therefore, availability of fresh water was must, not only to save the current crop, but also facilitate the population, he said.

When contacted, Ishaq Mughiri, a progressive grower and former president of the SAB Qambar-Shahdadkot, he confirmed that initially water flow in Saifullah Magsi and SKT branches was quite encouraging, which all of a sudden was decreased.

Talking to Dawn on Saturday, he said for one week, water levels had sharply been decreased in both big irrigation channels. Currently ‘nominal’ water flow was seen in both arteries, which is quite worrisome for the growers who have almost finished the paddy transplantation.

He said 11 bigger and smaller irrigation tributaries and minors, offshoots of Saifullah Magsi Branch at Noorpur Regulator, should flow at 8 to 8.5 foot normally and is now flowing hardly at four feet.

He said Qubo Shakh, Shahbaig, Dhori, Patooja, Shahan, Noorpur Imdad Minor and others were severely affected and there was serious threat to the recently-transplanted paddy crop (the only crop peasants cultivate).

Asked about the seed varieties the growers more likely sow, he sarcastically said indigenous seeds were no more in practice and majority of the growers and small khatidars were relying on imported ‘hybrid’ seeds.

“We purchase seed from Rs8,000 to Rs12,000 per 40km from the open market. Also smaller packets weighing five-kilogram hybrid seeds are available in the market at Rs5,000,” he said.

He said that either they are underweight or having a risk of germination too, he said. It is the mid sowing season when water levels in both irrigating arties were drastically decreased, he said and apprehended that if the situation persisted, it would cast a severe negative impact on the production.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2025