MIRPURKHAS, April 13: Chairman Sindh Irrigation Drainage Authority retired Brigadier Abdul Haq has said that funds for desilting and other purposes would be provided to those farmers organisations which had paid 100 per cent Abiana (water charges) and held their elections.

He was talking to office bearers and members of the Farmers Organisations Council (FOC) here on Tuesday. He was accompanied by managing director SIDA Aijaz Ahmed Qureshi.

The SIDA chief said that the system at the distributaries, minors and canals was being improved, as for washing clothes and bathing buffaloes, separate arrangements were being made at every water course.

He maintained that under the order of Sindh government issued in 2002, no direct outlet would be approved. He said that no water course will be transferred to other minors.

He said that rice cultivation will not be allowed on dry land. He further said that irrigation water will not be approved for 'B' class land. He said that these matters should be sent only to the Area water board, and not to SIDA and higher authorities, because the board was the better platform to settle these matters under the law.

He asked the members and office bearers of the area water board to launch a campaign to remove illegal direct outlets from the water courses, minors and canals. He appealed to the office bearers of farmers organisations to strengthen this participatory system, and with its strengthen an agriculture revolution will usher in Sindh province.

MARI MINOR: A dozen of tail end abadgars of Mari Minor have demanded of the SIDA chairman to immediately replace the FOC chairman of the Mari minor and hold elections, as he was not fulfilling his responsibility to ensure water at the tail end of the minor.