DADU, Jan 13: Sindh Secretary for Irrigation Ashfaque Ahmed Memon has said that there is 48 per cent water shortage in Sindh and committees will be formed on the sub-division level to judiciously distribute water among farmers.

He was speaking at a press conference here on Thursday. He compared the current water shortage in Sindh with that of 2001, saying the rotation system on canals of the Sukkur Barrage would continue till March.

Mr Memon elaborated that 50 farmers and irrigation officials would be nominated on the sub-division level to run the rotation system. He said 60 tube-wells would be sunk at the Sukkur Barrage to control seepage during repair of cracks in the barrage.

He claimed that fair distribution of water would be made as farmers had cultivated wheat, cotton and other crops. Mr Memon said remodelling of Dadu, Rice, Nara, Rohri and other canals of Sindh and river embankments would start next year with a cost of Rs5 billion.

He said the RBOD project had been started and agricultural run-offs of the main Nara valley drain would be released into it to save the Manchhar Lake. He said Rs100 million were allocated for land compensation to farmers in the RBOD project and Rs250 million had been released to the irrigation department during the current year.

He said Rs600 million would be spent on land compensation for the RBOD project. He said the irrigation department was resolving land compensation issue on priority basis.

Talking about a shortage of irrigation water in Dadu district, he said, different waterways including Chhinni, Lakha, Daro and Daim were the worst affected but it was decided that new channel would be dug from the Manchhar Lake to provide water to affected area for cultivation.

Referring to the Nai Gaj and flood protective bunds, he said, with a cost of Rs587 million these two new schemes would be initiated in the district. He said work on flood protective bunds would be initiated from RD-0 to RD-120 in the Dadu district to store rain water.

He said water would be released in canals from the Sukkur Barrage on Feb 25. The secretary visited Johi branch, Dadu Canal, flood protective bund and Manchhar Lake and met with delegations of farmers.