LARKANA, Nov 5: Under the national programme for improvement in watercourses, 29,000 watercourses will be cemented in Sindh in four years at an estimated cost of Rs 22 billion.

Mohammad Younis Dhagha, Project Director of the programme for Sindh, said that 6,277 watercourses would be lined and cemented in Larkana, Shikarpur and Jacobabad districts.

Giving the break up at a meeting held here on Friday, he said that 2,454 watercourses in Larkana, 1,235 in Shikarpur, and 2,588 in Jacobabad district would be cemented.

According to him, the project is aimed at increasing agriculture products by ensuring timely water distribution. Farmers will constitute associations and contribute 17.49 per cent cost of the lining watercourses whereas the federal government will pay the remaining 82.51 per cent of the cost.

The programme envisages the lining of 30 per cent length of a watercourse in the areas with saline subsoil water and 15 per cent length of watercourses in fresh ground water area.

The farmers associations, after getting registered, will submit applications with the deputy district officer of water management. The district government will carry out and monitor the work and send monthly progress and expenditure report to the provincial coordinator of the programme.

The DCOs of Larkana and Shikarpur and the revenue EDO of Jacobabad informed the meeting that all out efforts would be made to implement the project in letter and sprit.

SUKKUR: Later, Mr Dhagha held a meeting with the officers concerned at the DCO office here. Speaking on the occasion, he said that sole object of the programme was to reduce water losses and ensure conservation of water.