The discord between the provinces on water shortage has tended to sidetrack the role of the Sindh irrigation department. Though, the persistent drought and the unfair distribution have been the rootcause of water crisis, but the inept performance, ill planning and corruption have made matters worse.

The department has failed to manage and distribute the available water resources. The failure inflicted a blow not only to Sindh’s agriculture, but also to the canal system of the province. If immediate actions are not taken, the rural economy would collapse. The distribution and canal systems are in a shambles, wherein not a day passes when a breach in the system somewhere in Sindh is not reported.

The unfair intra-provincial water allocations among the barrages and between the canal-system of a single barrage has caused the major damage. The volume of water to be made available to Sindh is intimated well in advance. The department can plan and intimate the growers accordingly, but due to the lack of planning, motivation, neglect of irrigation rules and regulations, the same is not followed. Corruption is rampant from top to bottom as funds for maintenance and repairs are misappropriated. The baildars exist only on papers.

Right from the from chief-engineer to baildar, nobody seems to be interested to perform his duty. The inspection paths of canals, maintained and meant for routine inspection, have become unreachable, making the inspection impossible. This has rendered the bureaucrats to depend on the reports of the local staff thus fostering corruption. The afforestation on the bank canals has disappeared and the funds misappropriated. The water-course heads are tempered with, broken and even open-cuts are made with the official connivance. The Katcha Chhaab (fall-profile) crops up during night, while the financially well-off are able to get authorization for the concrete fall-profiles.

The concept of fall-profiles is technically based on two principles. To maintain an even flow of canals from head to tail, while passing through different contour levels, it is constructed at the juncture of high and low points, and great care is taken not to disturb the velocity of the canal water. To maintain the down-under velocity, parallel profiles (bottle-shaped) are constructed. The vertical-profiles (like a wall across the bed of the canal) are avoided because they tend to disturb the velocity of the water and thus precipitate the silting up process.

The early planners constructed regulator-heads at low and high contour junctures, raising and lowering the water level as per requirement through the regulator gates. The downstream supply was made under the gates. However, the discretionary sanctioning powers of the irrigation engineers was abused compelling the Sindh government to impose a ban, except on chief minister’s approval.

During the intervening period a lot of damage was done, as number of fall-profiles with vertical design were approved and constructed. A large number of Zamindars of political and financial clout — who otherwise would have incurred heavy expenses on account of lifting of water, got the fall profile approved adjacent to their lands. Some even got the approval near the regulator-head. One such fall is located on RD-5 of the Naseer Wah, Ex-PFL Upper-Pinyari, Kotri-Barrage. The falls thus constructed was a mixture of both vertical and parallel profiles, clogging and silting up the entire canal system.

A recently retired irrigation minister manoeuvred to construct a fall-profile on mile 33 of Phuleli, a small river-like canal of Kotri Barrage. The consequences of it would be hazardous as the entire distribution system attached to this main canal is bound to be incapacitated soon. The siltification would be accelerated with the consequent water shortage in the downstream command areas, and breaches in the upstream. Breaches have started to occur in the upstream, adjacent to the Hyderabad municipal limits, from where this canal passes. The current breach in the Rohri canal of Sukkur Barrage is also a point in the case. In fact, breaches are so frequent in the barrage system of Sindh that there is not a day when a breach is not reported.

During the past two years, Sindh has been facing severe water shortage, particularly in Rabi season. By the end of March this year, the shortage was to the extent of 70 per cent. The water released by Irsa is meant for the use of perennial canals, and as the Guddu Barrage is non-perennial, it did not receive a drop. the water supplied was meant for three perennial canals of Sukkur and two of the Kotri Barrage, including the civil uses of Karachi. The water received fluctuated between 20 to 30 thousand cusecs. Guddu received none, while Kotri received from 3-5 thousand cusecs. The K.B Feeder of the Kotri Barrage supplying water to Karachi took only 1200 cusecs out of Karachi’s share of 2000 cusecs. The balance quantum was for the agricultural use of the Kotri Barrage. The bulk of water, varying between 20-25 thousand cusecs, was consumed by the Sukkur Barrage perennial areas. This represents a stark disparity between Sukkur and Kotri. Kotri bore the brunt of shortage, despite having two perennial canals. While in the Kotri Barrage command area, water which was solely meant for the use of Lined Channel, a perennial canal of the Kotri, was left high and dry on the pretext of supplying drinking water to the areas fed by the Phuleli Canal. From January 1 to June 1, 2002 the Lined Channel division received water for 15 days only, and that too on half surface-level, resulting in large scale devastation of the sugarcane fields in the perennial tract.

The entire Karachi division with a population 12 million, and three huge industrial and commercial areas was to suffice with 1200 cusecs only, but the Phuleli Canal command area with marginal population and no mentionable industry constantly received 2500 cusecs of water for drinking purposes. It was a ploy to side-track the water allocation criteria as enunciated by Irsa.

This was not only ill-founded but also caused huge national damage by feeding the non-perennial areas at the cost of the perennial tracts, particularly in the Kotri command area.

The following measures are suggested for better utilization of the available water resource to Sindh.

1. All the fall-profiles constructed after 1979 in the command area of three barrages of Sindh be removed immediately.

2. A total ban should be imposed on the sanction of new fall-profiles.

3. The demolished fall-profiles may be replaced by regulator-heads, if deemed technically necessary.

4. A large-scale mechanized desilting programme be initiated on contingency basis to be followed by a regular annual pattern.

5. The inspection paths should be upgraded, afforested and maintained with a strict adherence to the schedule of inspection from the chief to the SDO.

6. The ban on shifting of water-course up or down the same canal or from one command area to the other should be strictly maintained.

7. The mandatory inspection of the canals from the chief-engineer down to the surveyor should be strictly adhered to and any proven neglect should immediately be punished.

8. The appointment of fake baildars should be thoroughly investigated.

9. The staff of a particular canal where some sort of irregularity or illegality has been committed and the staff failed to report the same, strict disciplinary action should be taken against the defaulter.

10. During the time of shortages, the wara-system should not only be prominently published in the local press but the growers should be individually intimated regarding the timing and duration of the wara-bundi.

11. The duration of the wara-bundi should not be less than 8 days so that all the co-sharers of a water-course could fully avail the wara-bundi.

12. During the wara (rotation) full-supply level of the canal should necessarily be maintained.

13. Last but not the least, the water-allocation, intra-provincial, meant for different barrages and canal system should be judiciously and fairly implemented.