KARACHI, Nov 23: Following completion of Thal canal project, Sindh will become a barren territory and interior of the province will be propelled to the brink of starvation and despondency.

“Water shortage scenario in Sindh is sliding from bad to worse and after construction of the Thal canal, the agriculture system will be annihilated,” said Zahid Bhurgari, President Farmers’ Association, Sindh, while speaking at a certificate-distribution ceremony for the participants of a trainers’ workshop on organizational and financial management for the farmers’ organizations at the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), on Saturday.

He said Sindh irrigation system stood on the brink of a time bomb, as non-availability of water had devastated almost all precious crops, which would have adverse effects on the economy of the province, depriving an overwhelming segment of the population of their livelihoods.

“Poverty rate in Sindh is going up with an alarming pace due to unfavourable situation, as majority of the population heavily depends on agriculture yields for earning their livelihoods and any catastrophic situation in this regard will lead to financial bankruptcy,” he added.

He dispelled the impression that landlords in the province were averse to paying their share of taxes and claimed that they had been paying a number of taxes, including abiana, agriculture and water taxes, etc.

He alleged that the irrigation department intended to weaken the farmers’ organization by giving it wrong figures of availability of water in Nara canal.

Information secretary Ashfaq Memon said that in the past canal system was maintained properly by the zamindars which led to flourishing of the system as it was a totally local mechanism which worked without any outside interference. However, he added, with the passage of time this system had deteriorated.

Dr Jawaid Leghari, director SZABIST, also spoke.—PPI