RAHIM YAR KHAN, Aug 3: Scores of farmers of 'pacca' area took out a protest demonstration against canal water shortage here on Tuesday.

The protesters, led by PPP district president MPA Javaid Akbar Dhaloon , were holding banners and chanted slogans against the district government and the irrigation department.

They alleged that on the instructions of district Nazim Syed Ahmed Mehmood, the irrigation department was usurping the right of farmers. They said all perennial canals in 'pacca' area had been closed due to 'political influence' and water was being provided to the non-perennial canals in 'kacha' area.

The farmers said the department was making 'lame excuses' about water shortage while the kacha area canals breached because of excessive water supply. The protesters warned that they would besiege the district government offices and go on hunger strike if the pacca area canals were not opened.

They alleged that district Nazim Syed Ahmed Mehmood and Jahangir Tareen cultivated sugarcane on almost 12,000 acres in kacha area due to which water was being released in the non-perennial canals.

The farmers said they had lost their three to four turns under the warabandi (water rotation) system causing damage to cotton and sugarcane crops. When contacted, the irrigation superintending engineer said the department was supplying water to both the perennial and non-perennial areas on merit.

He said out of 14,500 cusecs of water for three main canals - Panjnand, Abbasia and Abbasia Link - which irrigated Rahimyar Khan district, only 10,000 cusecs were released.