KHAIRPUR, July 16: An embankment of the Ali Bahar Wah, fed from the Mirwah Canal, the largest in Kot Diji taluka, developed a 50-foot-wide breach on Friday morning that widened to 80 feet by noon.

The wah, which irrigates the entire taluka, developed a breach in its right embankment at RD-20 at about 5am, inundating crops and orchards, including cotton and dates, standing over 150 acres of land besides affecting three villages - Sadiq Ujjan, Channar and Abdul Ghani Wassan.

Growers tried incessantly to plug the breach on self-help basis as no irrigation officer turned up. However, the canal was closed from the Mirwah regulator point. Expressing concern over the negligence of irrigation authorities, they deplored that no official had even cared to visit the site.

District Nazim Nafisa Shah, during a visit to the site, said that she had talked to the irrigation secretary who had assured her that a high-level inquiry would be initiated in the matter.

She told journalists that about 200 acres of land had been flooded because of the breach which was the result of the negligence of irrigation authorities. The breach remained unplugged till the filing of this report.

PROTEST: Sanitation staff of the Khairpur taluka municipal administration observed a strike here on Friday to protest against non-payment of their salaries.