BADIN, July 23: A large number of growers whose lands are irrigated by watercourses fed by Sher Wah Minor held a rally in Khorwah town on Wednesday in protest against closure of watercourses by irrigation officials.

The protesters led by Saleh Rahimoon, Dilshad Mari and Suleman Maheri burnt tyres on the road and raised slogans against irrigation officials.

They said that they had cultivated their lands and sowed crops after receiving water through the existing watercourses. But now irrigation staff declared the same watercourses ill-designed and attempted to dismantle them, they said.

If the watercourses were closed, their crops would wither and it would injustice. Why did they release water into the watercourses in the first place if they were ill-designed, they asked.

In the meantime, some irrigation officials led by executive engineer of Guni sub-division Mohammad Ibrahim Shoro reached Sher Wah and tried to close watercourses No 5, 9, 13 and four others on the left bank of the minor on the pretext they had been tampered with and ill-designed.

But they were forced to leave after a large number of growers reached there.

Irrigation officials told this correspondent that the operation of all the watercourses which had been tampered with and ill-designed were to be closed immediately on the orders of higher authorities to curb water theft and make water available to tail-end growers.

They said that they had been asked not to create any trouble. If growers created trouble they would be dealt with according to law and the report of the incident would be sent to higher authorities, they said.