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Irsa takes flak for lack of fairness in water sharing
Farmers face black-marketing and overcharging of fertilisers amid an acute shortage of irrigation water that threatens thousands of acres of land. - APP/File photo
DADU: A large number of growers and their supporters took to the streets, held demonstrations and sit-ins on the roads in different parts of the province on Monday in protest against water shortage.
They criticised the Indus River System Authority and said the body was not playing its role for fair distribution of water among provinces.
The water accord which was signed during Nawaz Sharif government in 1991 had never been implemented, keeping Sindh deprived of its due share, they said.
A large number of growers and activists of the Sindh Hari Committee took out a procession in Mehar in protest against water shortage.
Carrying placards and raising slogans, the protesters marched from the taluka hospital and terminated at the press club.
Hari committee leader Samar Jatoi said that Sindh was not getting its due share in water and many parts of the province were facing water shortage, which was badly affecting standing crops.
Another committee leader, Akbar Kandhro, said that 50 per cent paddy crop would be affected and thousands of acres of land would become barren during the current season.
He said that release of water downstream Kotri Barrage was mandatory, otherwise, seawater would swallow up thousands of acres of fertile land.
Nawab Ahmed, a grower, said that the Indus River System Authority was not playing its role to ensure fair distribution of water among provinces and complained that the 1991 water accord had never been implemented.
In Larkana, a large number of people from seven villages held a demonstration and sit-in on the Larkana-Naudero road near Saeedodero on Monday in protest against closure of two channels, which were fed by Rice Canal. Carrying bunches of paddy seedlings in their hands, which had dried up due to unavailability of water, the protestors said that despite continuous protests the irrigation staff had not released water into Saeedodero minor and Saeedo shakh.
They said that hundreds of acres of land would become uncultivable if it was not watered in time.
Traffic on both sides of the road came to a halt during the blockade. Later the protesters ended the protest after the DSP and SHO of Naudero assured them of helping solve the problem.
Farmers face black-marketing and overcharging of fertilisers amid an acute shortage of irrigation water in three out of eight talukas of the district.
As many as 16 farmers have been booked in two FIRs on charges of stealing water as their colleagues continued protest against water shortage and urea fertiliser in different towns of the district on Monday
The farmers who belonged to Faiz Ganj, Sobhodero and Kingri talukas continued their protest against acute shortage of irrigation water.
Farmers of Kingri said that there was shortage of water in Aali Wah, Jamshed minor, Rahujo minor, Saalar minor and many other minor canals of Kingri taluka due to which standing crops were getting destroyed.
The growers of Sobhodero taluka held demonstrations in Hingorja and Sobhodero, saying that there was no irrigation water at tail-ends of the minors in Sobhodero.
Faiz Ganj taluka is the worst affected taluka where growers face shortage of irrigation water in many minors and watercourses.
Khairpur Abadgar Ittehad president Shakir Shah told journalists that artificial shortage of urea fertiliser in the district had led to overcharging as the official rates of urea fertiliser was Rs710 per bag but it was being sold in the market for Rs1,100 per bag.
Two separate FIRs were lodged at Faiz Ganj police station on Sunday against 16 growers on charge of illegally using irrigation water from various minors and watercourses.
Dawn Report :Tuesday, 30 Jun, 2009
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