DADU, Feb 6: The shortage of water has affected wheat and vegetable crops in different parts of Dadu district.

According to a union council Nazim, wheat crop was not cultivated even on 20 per cent of land in the district as compared to previous years.

The Dadu Canal is supposed to get 4,400 cusecs of water from the Sukkur Barrage but due to the water shortage in the River Indus, it is provided only 800 cusecs of water.

Wheat in usually cultivated on 500,000 acres of land in the district but this year the cultivation has declined, which means that the area would not achieve its target of wheat production during the current season.

Johi taluka is known for largest wheat production in the district but in the current season, few growers of the area were able to cultivate wheat crop due to water shortage and water rotation programme at the Dadu Canal and Johi Branch.

Talking to this correspondent, the Nazim of Khudabad union council, Mohammad Paryal Birmani, alleged that the irrigation officials were not providing due share of water to the Dadu Canal.

He accused the big landlords and influential persons of stealing water by tempering with water courses with the help of irrigation officials.

He said that wheat crop was not cultivated even on 20 per cent of land as compared to previous years.

He said that although the rotation programme had ended, the water level at the canal and branch had not improved.

The executive engineer, irrigation, Habibullah Kabooro, said that due to the water shortage, the Dadu Canal had not received its share of water.

Cases: False cases instituted against the legislators of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, who had contested against feudal lords in the interior of Sindh, would be withdrawn.

This was stated by the chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, while speaking to party workers here over telephone on Wednesday.

Urging the legislators of the Muttahida to work towards solving the problems of the poor people belonging to the interior of Sindh on a priority basis.

Criticizing opponents for trying to foment misgivings between the Urdu-speaking and Sindhi people, he said that the elements, critical of the Muttahida, could not fight for the rights of Sindh.

suicide: A 50-year-old woman, Sehat Khatoon, on Wednesday committed suicide by ingesting pesticide in Faridabad, Mehar taluka. The suicide was attributed to a domestic dispute.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Riaz Ahmed Panhwar on Wednesday committed suicide by swallowing a lethal dose of pesticide in the wake of a matrimonial dispute in the Faqir Mohammad Panhwar village, Dadu taluka.

BODY FOUND: A bullet-riddled corpse of a 50-year-old unidentified man was recovered from the River Indus by the Bhand Mari police.