HYDERABAD: Irrigation officials of Balochistan and Sindh indulged in acrimonious exchanges, both verbal and written, over the last couple of days over the issue of short supplies to the former, ostensibly due to some technical issues.

The Balochistan side claims it was still not receiving its due share from Sindh despite adequate supplies to both the provinces having been restored by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa).

The Balochistan irrigation minister approached the Sindh chief minister, irrigation minister and irrigation secretary on Friday to convey his concern over the situation

However, recent correspondence between the superintending engineers of Sukkur’s Desert Pat Feeder Circle Dinesh Kumar and Dera Murad Jamali Pat Feeder Canal Mudasar Khosa, exposed an acrimony over dealing with each other.

Asked not to bring ‘unauthorised persons’ in next visit

The letters were exchanged in the wake of Mr Khosa’s likely visit to Guddu Barrage to observe flows for Balochistan. The visit was first scheduled for July 1 but was postponed.

When Mr Khosa reminded Mr Kumar about his upcoming visit, the latter told him that he was previously accompanied by some unknown and unauthorised persons having no official status or role. “Such persons issued threats of dire consequences to engineers, officers and officials of Guddu Barrage. Such conduct has created an atmosphere of intimidation among field staff at the barrage which is a strategic hydraulic installation of national importance,” read SE Pat Feeder’s July 1 letter addressed to his Balochistan counterpart.

Mr Khosa was told to refrain from bringing unauthorised persons and that only government officers would be allowed access to the installation. Mr Kumar said that attempt to threaten and intimidate Guddu officials would not be tolerated, adding that in such case, the matter would be reported to law enforcement authorities.

Mr Khosa dismissed the claim in a rejoinder, saying that he was not accompanied by any unauthorised person in his June 18 visit. He also rejected the allegation that officials were intimidated by those who were accompanying him. “The language which you have used in letter is highly inappropriate and unbecoming and considering official code of conduct and ethics the undersigned being your counterpart cannot be issued directives from your end,” he said in his July 1 letter.

SE Khosa confirmed on Friday that he was now planning a visit to Guddu Barrage on Monday (July 6) because he had postponed his July 1 visit due to some official assignments.

Guddu Barrage Chief Engineer Sardar Shah told Dawn on Friday that “when Balochistan officials visit the barrage, they often bring private guards. The barrage is a sensitive installation where the situation demands officials should only be accompanied by uniformed policemen”.

Desert Pat Feeder is a right bank canal of Guddu which supplies water to Balochistan at RD-109. Two canals, Uch at RD-44 and Manuthi at RD-52 emanate from Pat Feeder to feed paddy growing command of Balochistan. Sukkur barrage’s right bank Kirthar Canal at RD-102 of North Western Canal (NWC) also supplies water to Balochistan through Garang regulator. The province’s major share is to be provided by Guddu’s Desert Pat Feeder.

Conflicting discharges

Varying figures of water flows were mentioned by Sindh and Balochistan for interprovincial share. While Sindh irrigation department claimed that on July 3, Balochistan was getting 4,888 cusecs at RD-109 (Pat Feeder) and 1,230 cusecs at RD-102 (Garang regulator of NWC), a Balochistan official said that it was being given 4,096 cusecs against indented 6,700 cusecs at RD-109 and 1,050 cusecs against indented 2,400 cusecs at RD-102, respectively, approved by Irsa.

“It respectively translates to a respective water shortage of 39pc and 56pc at two sources”, Mr Khosa said. It’s despite the fact that flows from Irsa have improved.

A source at Guddu Barrage said: “There is in fact some problem in the carrying capacity of Kirthar canal of Sukkur Barrage; in spite of a pond level of 199ft plus, it is not drawing adequate flows”. Secondly, he said, there is also an issue of rating tables (discharge measurement exercise) as far as reporting of conflicting discharges for Kirthar and D.P Feeder were concerned.

The Sukkur Barrage authorities have started maintaining pond level ever since removal of the cofferdam, built for the replacement of the barrage’s gates. The pond is to be maintained to feed right side canals of the barrage.

Irsa’s concern on Balochistan

Irsa Secretary Mohammad Khalid Idrees Rana had a day earlier (Thursday) written to the Sindh irrigation secretary that Balochistan “has been facing undue shortage 33pc in June in its canal system although Irsa is releasing its full indented water supplies including en-route losses”. He had attached Balochistan irrigation minister’s letter with his correspondence. He sought the irrigation secretary’s intervention to ensure Balochistan gets it’s due and rightful water share to resolve overdue complaints of short supplies.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2026