HYDERABAD, April 22: An association of tail-end growers on Tuesday blamed rampant corruption and an ‘unholy alliance between influential landlords and irrigation officials’ for the nagging problem of water shortage and warned of staging demonstrations if the growers did not get water.

The office-bearers of Zour Minor Tail-Abadgars Welfare Association of Matli said at a news conference at the press club that the alliance had led to destruction of sub-canals, distributaries and minors fed by Rohri Canal.

They said that though the tail-end growers of Zour Minor of Bukerani sub-division, Naseer division had been facing water shortage for last 30 years but the situation now had become too critical.

They said that in addition to rampant corruption and an unholy alliance between influential landlords and irrigation officials, direct outlets and illegal pipes on the canals had further aggravated the situation.

They said that the underground water had turned brackish which was extremely harmful not only for human consumption but also for livestock and abject poverty and hunger appeared to have become the destiny of tail-end growers.

They expressed the hope that the federal Minister for Irrigation and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf would announce measures for providing relief to the tail-end growers and appealed to human rights organisations, political parties and superior judiciary to take notice of large-scale corruption in the irrigation department.

They demanded that the watercourses should be re-designed after posting honest officers, direct watercourses and illegal pipes should be removed.

They suggested that the width of Rohri Canal should be doubled, sub-canals should be converted into canals, distributaries into sub-canals and minors into distributaries to ensure water was supplied to the tail-end of minors.

They said that the rotation programme should either be scrapped or implemented on divisional basis after its advertisement in newspapers.

They said that the watercourses at the head of Sarfaraz Branch and Zour Shakh should be restored to their original designs, raiding teams should be appointed to take action against water thieves and SIDA Act should be implemented in letter and spirit.