DADU, Aug 19: In a move to check water thefts in Dadu District, special teams of the irrigation department on Monday raided several waterways and found at least 30 to have been tampered with.

The teams, which were headed by Habibullah Kaboro and Basheer Ahmed Jatoi, raided some 120 watercourses of the Dadu Canal, Johi branch, from RD No85 to 132 including Kakar, Pir Ganio, Piaro Goth, Bego Deero, lower Noor Wah, Chejani, Sita minor, Phukka, Chhinni, Talti, Khudabad minor, Patoro, Pahore, Lakha Daro, Nonari, Amirpeer Dal and Daim and found 30 watercourses/modules tampered with.

Later, the teams sealed the 30 watercourse under the Irrigation Act and asked the police stations concerned to register cases against 15 influential landlords.

They included Ghulam Rasool Brohi, Ramzan Chandio, Mohammed Ali Jamali, Dodo Jamali, Ghulam Qadir Jamali, Haji Ramzan Jamali, nine other landlords, five irrigation officials including Sub-engineer Zulfiqar Panhwar, Sub-engineer Zulfiqar Soomro, Baildars Rajab Babar, Ghulam Qadir Sial, and Noor Mohammed.

Habibullah Kaboro, a member of the raiding team, told this correspondent that the water level was rising in the Dadu Canal and the Johi branch.

He admitted that the irrigation staff was involved in the water theft, and added that show-cause notices had been issued to five irrigation officials regarding it.

He disclosed that the irrigation officials involved in the water theft would be terminated from their services under the new laws.