MIRPURKHAS, Aug 10: A large number of people of Jhuddo taluka, including Naokot and Jhuddo towns, are facing acute shortage of drinking water for the last one week as water is not reaching tail-end of East Jamrao Canal allegedly due to intervention of some influential people.

Khalid Pervez Arain and Mir Manzoor Talpur told reporters that over 200,000 people of taluka Jhuddo had been compelled to get drinking water from hand pumps and far-flung areas.

Water was not being supplied to Naokot and Jhuddo town’s water supply schemes for the last one week and these reservoirs had almost dried, they said.

No water was supplied to Faqeer Minor, Silore distributary,Buggi minor and Khatian minor canals for last few weeks, they added. Cattle and people were compelled to drink contaminated water from ponds in rural areas, they added.

On Thursday irrigation officials tried to release water to the tail-end areas of East Jamrao Canal but influential people, along with their armed guards, foiled their bid by opening the gate of the regulator of Dilari distributary fed by the canal in Kot Ghulam Mohammad taluka, they alleged. These people, official sources said, belonged to ruling family of the country.

They said supply to the distributary remained suspended under water rotation programme.

A large number of people said that police and Rangers personnel were required to implement the rotation programme and ensure supply of water to the tail-end areas of East Jamrao canal.

Director Nara Canal Area Water Board, Ghulam Mustafa Ujjan, confirmed that the irrigation officials made an attempt to supply water to the tail-end area but armed landlords forcibly opened the Dilary distributary that was closed under rotation programme and was to open on August 15.

He said that he had written a letter to police officials and the distributary was closed with their help on Friday adding that a police picket had also been established there.

He said that he had informed the deputy commissioner of Mirpurkhas and mentioned names of the accused who forcibly opened the distributary. He suggested deployment of Rangers personnel there to implement the rotation programme.

The irrigation department officials said that scarcity persisted because of shortfall at Sukkur barrage and short supply of water into the Nara canal.