BADIN, Oct 11: The elected representatives of Badin have held the irrigation officials responsible for water shortage and rotation in the district.

MPAs Dr Sikandar Ali Mandhro, Ali Nawaz Chandio, and Basheer Ahmed Sirewal, in a meeting held at the DCO’s office, termed the rotation programme of waterways an irresponsible measure taken the irrigation officials and said that injudicious distribution of water had created problems for the growers in the district.

The MPAs also expressed their resentment over non-presence of irrigation officials in their offices. They said that irrigation officials never wanted to sit in their offices as a result of which complaints of the growers remained unattended.

They said that the situation should be brought to the notice of the Sindh chief minister and President Zardari.

Meanwhile, grower Abdul Jabbar Gopang and others have said that shortage of water, eruption of crop diseases and apathy of the irrigation officials were the main reasons for a drastic reduction in the rice crop of Badin district.

They told Dawn on Saturday that growers in Badin had suffered about 40-50 per cent losses due to water shortage which led to outbreak of different crop diseases. These diseases, they claimed, caused loss of weight in the rice seedlings and crops.

They demanded an end to the rotation programme and provision of irrigation water to save their rice crops.

RALLY: The activists of Brick Kiln Labourers’ Association Badin held a protest rally demanding raise in their wages. Led by representatives of the association, Ghulam Yasmin Rustamani, Ragho Kolhi, and Mohammad Rafique, about 50 workers marching through the Allahwala chowk reached Aiwan-i-Sahafat.