SANGHAR, June 2: Sindh Irrigation Secretary Mir Mohammed Parhiar said that the water position in the Indus is improving and ‘‘we have softened the rotation system from 75 per cent to 25 per cent’’.

The secretary came here on Sunday to visit the canals and also to check the quality of work at the Chotiari Reservoir.

He announced that there would be no rotation for Ali Bahar Wah of Hala division from today. He also visited the head Jamrao, Makhi and Paksori.

He said that the 1991 water accord was signed by the chief ministers of four provinces, and added that it was a legal document and the Thal canal was included in it.

The sub-divisional officer, Irrigation, Tando Adam-I, Shahnawaz Abro, on the complaints of tail-end farmers, instructed Mr Parhiar to improve the availability of water in the canals of the sub-division.

He also took notice of the water shortage in Shahpur Chakar area and made bound the chief engineer, Sukkur barrage, to take personal interest and provide water to the area.

While talking to journalists at Shahdadpur, the secretary said with a capacity for 5,000 cusecs, the Thal canal had been approved in the 1991 accord but the capacity had been enhanced from 5,000 cusecs to 8,000.

He also said that water in the Thal canal would be released when there would be sufficient water downstream the Kotri barrage.

When some journalists pointed out that inferior material had been used in the Chotiari Reservoir, Mr Parhiar said it is being supervised by Wapda, but we are constituting technical committees which will do the fact-finding and the project will be handed over to the irrigation department.

He said when work on the Chotiari had been completed, it would serve 87,000 acres with a storage capacity of 0.8 MAF; 56,555 acres had been acquired for the Chotiari Reservoir.

He rejected the plea of Lundo Shakh farmers to connect this canal directly to the Jamrao canal.

He told them that the water supply to the tail-enders would be ensured.

He also advised the farmers to cooperate with irrigation officials to check water theft and set up committees at the village level regarding it.