Govt asked to take action against water theft

KARACHI: Badin farmers on Monday urged the government to ensure water availability for the tail-enders, alleging that landlords were involved in water theft at the cost of small growers.
In a statement, growers and peasants of UC Abdullah Shah, Nindo, district Badin said the government was not resolving their water and agriculture related issues which increased in their sufferings.
Growers and peasants, including Mohammed Siddique, Mohammed Bachal, Haji Abuzar, and Noor Mohammad Themore, appealed the Sindh irrigation department officials to resolve water distribution issues for tail enders of Akram Wah and its distributaries Rajo Wah, Ali Wah, Gooni Wah, and other small outlets.
Agriculture was the skeleton of the country’s economy, but the government was not serious in addressing the irrigation problems faced by the growers and peasants, they said. "The influential landlords were involved in water theft at the cost of the livelihood of small growers," the statement said.
They said the tail-enders had the first right to water in natural law. However, here they faced water scarcity throughout the year with monsoon and flood seasons as exceptions when influential diverted more water towards the tail-enders leaving their lands flooded.
“Influential landlords and upper riparian growers steal water forcibly from Ali Wah, Rajo Wah, Goony Wah and other distributaries of the perennial canal Akram Wah through pipes and pumping machines, besides redesigning the water courses illegally," they said.
Pipes were installed beneath two water courses of Ali Wah between its RDs 40 to 50, whereas a barrier at RD 15 Nindo Regulator stopped the water from moving towards the tail. The other watercourses ahead of it had no frames, through which water was stopped when it was not in use. Same is the situation at the other distributaries, they added.
Besides irrigation water scarcity, they said, Badin district was affected with saline water drains and that have not been cleaned. Due to the build-up in these drains, saline water often overflows and floods the land, damaging the environment. "World Bank and the government have accepted faults in the design of the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD), while no attention is being given towards the repair and redesigning of small drains," the statement said.