MIRPURKHAS, April 5: Desilting of the Irrigation Department has helped in supplying water to tail-end areas consisting barren lands of lower Nara canal. Around 50 miles of the canal was desilted with the help of excavators in a month.
The work was done with the assistance of the XEN Thar division Mansoor Memon and under the supervision of farmers’ committees.
Briefing reporters during his visit to lower Nara at RD-363 near Khipro town on Thursday, Mr Memon said that no desilting and rehabilitation work was carried out in lower Nara canal during the last two decades resulting in reduction of its water carrying capacity to 700 cusecs against the designed capacity of 2,200 cusecs rendering over 100,000 acres agriculture land barren.
Many landlords and farmers had to migrate to other areas.
He claimed that he had to convince local leaders of different political parties, notables, growers and stakeholders about the importance of irrigation water for economic growth of the region. He told them that without water their business and crops would be destroyed and urged them to work jointly for desilting and rehabilitation of lower Nara canal so that the barren land could be converted into fertile land.
“They themselves formed farmers’ committees to supervise work and provincial minister, Ali Mardan Shah got approved Rs55 million for the purpose,” he said adding excavators were hired to desilt RD-280 to RD-530 and raise and strengthen canal’s banks.
Supply in lower Nara canal will be restored as water from the head had reached here which then will be supplied to Sanghar, Khipro, Pithoro, Dhoronaro, Shadi Palli, Umerkot, Tando Mitha Khan, Achhro Thar and other towns and villages.
Director, Nara Canal, Ghulam Mustafa Ujjan said some 1,500 cusecs of water will help in bringing under cultivation around 200,000 acres of barren land in tail-end areas of the canal. Different minors were also desilted with the support of the World Food Programme.
Non-release of funds by the federal government had resulted in incomplete of work on Mukhi Farash canal.