DADU, June 23: The growers of the district held three separate demonstrations on Sunday to protest against the alleged sale of water to influential landlords by the officials of irrigation department.

The growers said the influential landlords had tempered with modules and installed big pipes in the water channels with the connivance of corrupt irrigation officials. They said the shortage of water had affected paddy saplings and cotton crop.

The growers and councillors of Patt Sharif, led by Majid Hussain, held a demonstration outside the office of the SDO irrigation.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hussain alleged the irrigation officials of the Patt Sharif sub-division were demanding Rs70,000 bribe for releasing water into a watercourse.

He said waterways had dried up at tail-ends of the watercourses and the growers there had not sown paddy crop. He said he had sent telegrams to the chief engineer and secretary, irrigation, calling on them to ensure water supply to the tail-enders.

The growers of taluka Johi held another demonstration outside the irrigation office, Johi.

Pir Bukhsh Babbur, speaking at the rally, said the artificial shortage of water had badly affected paddy and cotton crop in Johi taluka.

He said tail-ends of Chhinni, Noonari, Chinjani and 15 other waterways, originating from the Johi Branch, had dried because irrigation officers were selling their water share to influential landlords, whose lands lied at the head of the branch.

A large number of growers took out a procession in Sita to protest against shortage of water. They were led by provincial chief women’s wing of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) Soorath Thebo.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Thebo said growers of the Sita sub-division were paying agricultural taxes to the government but the irrigation officers were not providing due share of water to them.