HYDERABAD, Oct 19: The Sindh Minister for Irrigation, Jam Saifullah Dharejo, and Agriculture Minister Syed Ali Nawaz Shah on Sunday held a marathon session with the growers’ organisations and relevant officials to find out ways to tackle shortage of water in the Rabi season.
The meeting was held on the receipt of information from the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) that Sindh would be supplied with 35 per cent less water for its 2008 Rabi crops.
Mr Dharejo said that the Sindh government was making all-out efforts to persuade the Indus River System Authority that Sindh’s water indent should be calculated at Guddu instead of Chashma so that the wastage of water between Chashma and Guddu was not included in Sindh’ share.
He stressed the need for appointment of a think-tank comprising engineers, irrigation experts and growers to provide guidance during such emergencies to resolve problems of the growers and to meet production targets.
He pointed out that even during Kharif, Sindh had to face 34 per cent shortage of water and even this water was not released on time.
He directed the irrigation secretary to constitute a vigilance committee, which should close all illegal water outlets within ten days.
He urged the growers to form a pressure group to identify illegal outlets to ensure judicious and equitable water supply up to the tail enders.
The irrigation minister also directed the officials to ensure desilting of canals and to publicise rotation programme in the media due to shortage of water. There should be no changes in the water rotation schedule, the minister warned. Strict action should be taken against the water thieves, he said.
There was no cause for alarm; he said adding that if the irrigation and agriculture departments and the growers were to work as one team, there was no reason why the wheat targets could not be achieved.
The agriculture minister claimed that there was no shortage of fertilisers and seeds in the province and added that in order to provide timely facilities to the growers, Benazir Bhutto service centres had been established in eight districts where growers were being provided with seed, pesticides and fertilizers as well as bank loans.
Earlier, the presidents of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture and Sindh Abadgar Board Syed Qamaruzaman Shah and Abdul Majeed Nizamani, respectively, and other growers dwelt at length on the problems confronting the farming community.
Later, talking to media personnel Irrigation Minister Saifullah Dharejo said that the bogey of Kalabagh Dam was raised by the dictators to create disharmony among the provinces and the present government had buried this project forever.
It was criminal negligence of the previous government not to raise the issue of Baghliar Dam; the minister said adding that India was drawing more water by violating the Indus Water Treaty.
He said that the government was working on war footings to produce cheap electricity by using Thar Coal.