LARKANA: The home department on Monday asked the inspector general of police and director general of Sindh Rangers to make immediate arrangements for the security of irrigation staff across the Wara sub-division during the planned anti-water theft operation.
Such request was made by the irrigation department to launch a major drive against water theft.
The department intends to remove all pipes illegally installed to steal irrigation water. It fears violent reaction from the culprits, many of them highly influential landowners.
It has conveyed its apprehension about a law and order situation to the additional chief secretary (ACS) of Sindh and received a prompt response from the home department.
Directive issued on irrigation official’s request over fear of violent reaction from influential landowners
In his letter, No.SO(IS)HD/security-I/2026, dated June 22, 2026 and marked as ‘most urgent’, the section officer (S) of the home department said that the “security arrangement may be coordinated with the Chief Engineer (irrigation), Sukkur Barrage, Right Bank Region, Larkana to avert any untoward incident”.
Copies of the letter have also been sent to the secretary irrigation, ACS home department and other concerned.
In his written request, section officer, admin-I, of the irrigation department told the ACS that necessary arrangements be made on an urgent basis for the deployment of police and Rangers personnel to get water theft stopped, illegal pipes removed and maintain law and order along the Warah Branch and its distributaries.
A source privy to the issue said that the chief engineer of Sukkur Barrage’s right bank had also made a similar request last month.
He informed the ACS that these illegal connections [pipes] were being used to divert the canal water through unauthorised means, resulting in water theft, disruption in the system operations and an acute water shortage within the irrigation network.
He further noted that the equitable distribution of water to the tail-end areas and the farmers at the lower reaches of the canal system was being severely affected as a consequence.
In order to effectively curb these illegal practices and ensure the removal of illegal pipes, necessary security arrangements should be made by deploying police and Rangers personnel, the chief engineer said.
The officials asserted that the presence of law-enforcement agencies was essential to assist the irrigation department in conducting anti-water theft operations by removal of unauthorised pipes and maintaining law and order.
“The security arrangements are required to remain in place until the end of July 2026,” the irrigation department said.
Recently, PPP leader Nawab Sardar Khan Chandio, an MPA from Qambar, had taken up the issue on the floor of the Sindh Assembly, saying that the shortage of irrigation water in Warah Canal was severely affecting paddy cultivation in the area. He called for immediate release of water in the canal as per the designed discharge.
Published in Dawn, June 23rd , 2026