LARKANA, June 24: Saifullah Magsi and SKT branches, which irrigate 175,000 acres of land in the Shahdadkot sub-division, are not being supplied with their due share of water.

Talking to this correspondent on Tuesday, a group of growers said they had been making calls to the superintendent engineer and the executive engineer of irrigation during the last week but they were not available.

Sindh Abadgar Board, Larkana, president Ishaq Mughri said paddy seedlings were dying but irrigation officials were not releasing required water in the branches.

The Saifullah Magsi Branch provides water to Qubo Shakh, Dhori Shakh, Patooja, Noorpur, Imdad, Shahan, Shahbaig, Khalid, Gandakha, and Eidan minors.

Qubo Saeed Khan Citizen’s Board chairman Mir Abdul Khaliq Khoso said no water was available at tail-end areas. He said irrigation officials were supplying water to Balochistan at the cost of fertile lands of Shahdadkot.

He said shortage of water had compelled many growers to migrate. Water was not available even for drinking purpose, he added.

The Nazim of Itebar Khan Chandio union council, Wajid Ali, said all offshoots of the SKT Branch, including Mastoi, Tanveri, Soonharo, Kalhora, Leghari, Maqsoodo and Gul Shah minors, were without water.

He said paddy seedlings would be damaged if the situation persisted.

The growers demanded that the government should ensure that Saifullah Magsi and SKT branches received their water share. They announced that growers would hold a protest demonstration in Qubo Saeed Khan on June 26.

HUNGER STRIKE: Activists of the PPP-SB observed a token hunger strike outside the press club here on Tuesday to protest against construction of the Thal canal.

Sindh PPP-SB vice-president Seema Rafiq, Mithal Khan Mughiri, Ali Gohar Chandio and others led the protest.