Hardship for growers due to extended closure of Rohri Canal

NAWABSHAH: More than 2.6 million acres of fertile land has been deprived of irrigation water as the main Rohri Canal that irrigates approximately half of the cultivated land of the province has been closed for 40 days for cleaning up silt as well as NAB investigations.

According to the schedule of the irrigation department, the canal was to be closed for 25 days from January 6, 2018 for silt clean-up, but was closed 15 days earlier from December 20, 2017. The growers complained that their standing crops have suffered due to lack of water, while hundreds of villages and towns are also facing acute shortage of drinking water.

Under a canal lining project, 17 kilometers of Rohri Canal was lined by concrete during the last two years at a cost of Rs.10 billion. The NAB Sukkur acting on complaintsof use of sub standard material in the project asked the irrigation department to shut down the canal for gathering samples for investigations. Meanwhile, the NAB also got the payment to the contractor of the lining project stopped.

According to Superintendent Engineer Irrigation Rohri Circle, Amjad Dawach the canal had to be closed on December 20 on the instructions of NAB and it will remain closed for 40 days till January 20, for silt cleaning as well. The irrigation officer said that the samples could not have been collected by NAB if the canal was closed on January 6. When approached for comments, a NAB officer said a letter was sent to the irrigation department for the inspection of the canal. He said the samples have been collected by a team of geologists and further assessment is underway in a laboratory.

Meanwhile central leader of Sindh Growers Association Syed Zain Shah charged that as much as 40 percent of Sindh agriculture was damaged due to closure of Rohri Canal for extended period. He demanded action against those involved in canal closure and waiver of revenue tax on growers. He said due to lack of water supply, 2.6 million acres planted with wheat, sugarcane, banana, vegetables and fruit gardens has been damaged. Besides, drinking water from Rohri canal to towns and villages of Sukkur, Naushero Feroze, Nawabshah, Sanghar, Badin, Hyderabad has also been suspended causing multiple problems to the people living there.