Mirpurkhas losing mango orchards to water shortage

HYDERABAD: The hub of mango products, Mirpurkhas district is losing its orchards due to water shortage and increasing soil infertility, growers pointed out on Thursday.

They were speaking at a seminar "Securing water rights and use for farmers of Mirpurkhas" organised by Laar Humanitarian and Development Programme (LHDP) in Mirpurkhas. The event brought district council members, leading growers, irrigation experts, academia and civil society together to discuss the common issue of water.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture senior vice president Zahid Bhurgari said illegal lift machines were stealing 1,500 cusec water from canals, depriving tail end growers of their rightful share of water. He urged the government to take action against the culprits, and stop this practice.

He accused irrigation officials of destroying systems through unnecessary interventions, which growers were protesting against for several days, demanding water to save their crops. He said Sindh has 18 canals, out of which three canals were under Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) management, while others were under the irrigation department.

“Nara canal capacity is 18,000 cusecs, but growers still wait 21 days for their turn to get water,” he added. He said experts should tell growers which crop to cultivate on a 21-day water cycle.

Mirpurkhas District council chairman Mir Anwar Talpur said the mango orchards were disappearing fast due to water shortage. Nara Canal Area Water Board chairman Tariq Ali Talpur said the initiative for lining of watercourses was laudable and would benefit tail-end growers. He said the months of April and May always created problems for tail end areas, but this year it was worst.

Left Bank Outfall Drainage (LBOD) project director Mansoor Memon said growers should be taken onboard to design rotation programmes. He said ownership of all stakeholders should be proved to move ahead. “There are 1,800 tube wells in Mirpurkhas, out of which hardly four are functional. Besides this, 500 tube wells are being planned for installation, but due to some reasons officials have put 450 machines and systems in warehouses. Only 50 tube wells have been installed with growers' choice,” he added.

LHDP executive director Iqbal Hyder said poor drainage and irrigation system and effects of climate change might make the region prone to disasters in the near future.

PVDP director Dominic Stephen, who belongs to Thar Desert, and works on water and disaster mitigation, said access to water, was a right. He said majority of poor peasants have shifted hands to other industries, leaving their traditional occupation of agriculture.

Mithal Jiskani of Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam said drip and sprinklers irrigation systems along with less water-intensive crops could be adopted as alternatives.

Jamrao Canal, a part of main Nara Canal was developed in 1890. Spread over 270 kilometres, the canal is needs maintenance and proper management to make it functional for feeding the area.