SANGHAR, Aug 24: About 70 per cent shortage of irrigation water has developed in the Nara canal system, with water gauges at 8,200 cusecs on Tuesday against the capacity of 13,600 cusecs.

Irrigation authorities, anticipating that the water level in the canal would drop further by Friday, have announced the rotation programme in all the five irrigation sub-divisions - Khadro, Jhol, Sindhri, Khipro and Bakhoro.

Nara Canal Area Water Board director Agha Ejaz Ahmed Khan, through a letter, informed executive engineers as well as farmers' organizations that because of further decrease of water in the River Indus, the canal would receive up to 60 per cent less water.

However, the total loss would be at around 70 per cent, with 10 per cent system losses, he added. The unexpected under supply of irrigation water has created panic among the farming community, which is deeply concerned about the coming Rabi season.

Farmers said that the current water shortage would cause heavy losses to them as the cotton crop was at its most crucial stage, whereas recently sown crops, specially onion and chilli, would receive severe setback if not irrigated in a few days. If the Tarbela and Mangla dams were not filled and there was no rain in the area, a serious situation would arise, they added.

LOOTED: Bandits looted the house of a businessman in Shahi Bazaar, Khipro town, on Tuesday. Two armed robbers entered the house of Seth Sundar Das in his absence and holding family members hostage, locked them in a room and looted gold ornaments and cash worth more than Rs200,000. On hue and cry of the housewife, the looters fled with the booty. The Khipro police are investigating.