THATTA, June 3: The district Nazim on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over excavation, maintenance and renovation of four drainage projects being carried out at a cost of Rs197.24 million.

District Nazim Syed Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi, accompanied by DCO Ishaq Lashari, drainage superintending engineer Mazhar Shah, area watercourses director and Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority representative Nazir Mughal, Pakistan Drainage System consultant Manzoor Ahmad Ansari and Nazims of various union councils, visited the project sites.

Talking to journalists, the district Nazim said that excavation of the Rs42 million Nangan Dhoro Drain part-I and Rs37 million part-II, Rs19.24 million main drainage system and the Rs99 million Karo Goongro drain would prove to be counter-productive due to their improper alignments and other technical flaws.

He said that 736,000 acres of agricultural land which fell in the command area of the projects in Mirpur Bathoro and Jati talukas would be destroyed if effective measures, including proper excavation as per specifications, were not adopted.

A large number of growers who met the Nazim at the site of Bathoro main drain complained that instead of silt clearance, the contractor was just renewing the bed with spades. They also complained of slow pace of the work.

The drain has been causing financial losses to growers by overflowing and back flowing. He said that he would inform the president and the Sindh chief minister about the situation.