HYDERABAD, June 22: The chief engineer of the Kotri Barrage, Mr Manzoor Shaikh, has said that water shortage at the barrage may continue for another three to four weeks.

He said that the flow in the Indus river had fallen abruptly due to the fall in temperature in the Northern Areas.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, he said that there was an acute water shortage at all barrages of Sindh and the availability of water at the upstream Kotri barrage was decreasing day by day.

The anticipated availability of water at upstream of the Kotri barrage would be less than the requirement of 33,800 cusecs as per the Water Accord 1991.

He said that it had been decided to enforce the rotation system in four off-taking canals of the barrage.

“The available water will be equitably distributed to ensure that every farmer gets its due share of water, keeping in view the prevailing shortage” he said.

He said that all superintending engineers and directors of canals off-taking Kotri barrage had been directed to prepare a rotation program of their canal systems.

He said that the rotation schedule would be published so that farmers could make their cultivation programme accordingly.

He said that the Kotri barrage administration would not spare any effort to ease the situation and provide all assistance required to farmers.

He said that the field staff would ensure that no wastage of water take place in any channel.

“Farmers have been requested to extend their cooperation to the irrigation department so that proper and equitable water distribution is assured” he said.

He said that they had also been requested to ensure water conservation.

A round-the-clock monitoring and complaint cell with telephone number 022-3877426 has been set up at the Kotri barrage to provide information to farmers, he said.

Mr Shaikh said that one sub-engineer would be deputed to receive telephones from farmers regarding water availability in their areas.

He said that complaints would immediately be communicated to the chief engineer for quick action.

He expressed the hope that the crisis would come to an end as soon as flow in the river increased.

RECOVERED: The Tando Mohammad Khan police on Wednesday recovered Rs2.5 million stolen pipes of the Oil and Gas Development Corporation Limited (OGDCL) and arrested two suspects.