HYDERABAD, Oct 18: The Sindh Water Committee, terming the acute shortage of water in the province genocide of the people of Sindh, has claimed that owing to the acute water shortage, the province has suffered a staggering loss of Rs26 billion.

Rasool Bux Palijo, who presided over a meeting of the SWC held here late on Sunday evening, claimed that the federal government was determined to go ahead with the construction of the Kalabagh dam, Greater Thal canal and other projects in Sindh at a juncture when the agriculture sector and overall economy of the province had been destroyed.

He alleged that under the 'fake' agreement of 1994, Sindh was being robbed of its due share of water, because of which, the rich agricultural lands of the province had been rendered barren.

Giving facts and figures, Mr Palijo said that because of the acute water shortage, sugarcane production had been reduced by four million tons, rice had decreased by 700,000 tons, and wheat by 400,000 tons, resulting in a loss of Rs19 billion.

An additional loss of Rs7 billion was suffered owing to reduction in the production of tomatoes, chillies and other vegetables, which had resulted in an accumulated loss of Rs26 billion, he added.

Holding the federal government responsible for the staggering loss, he demanded that the federal government should compensate Sindh for the losses.

He said that the committee had decided to launch a mass contact movement with cooperation of the Anti-Greater Thal Canal Action Committee against the water shortage, Greater Thal canal and Kalabagh dam, and in this connection, it would hold a national conference at Karachi on Oct 31.