Protests over water shortages: Minister orders senior engineer suspended, other irrigation officials transferred

SUKKUR: Several officers of the Irrigation Department including Superintendent Engineer Johi have been suspended or transferred for inefficiency, said Irrigation Minister Sohail Anwar Sial while addressing a press conference at the Darbar Hall of Deputy Commissioner’s office, Larkana, on Thursday.

The provincial irrigation minister said several officers of the department, including Superintendent Engineer Johi, were transferred or suspended for inefficiency following series of protests by farmers and complaints of water theft that is depriving their crops located at the tail end of irrigation water. He said water shortage was inflicting economic damages to the farmers in the shape of crop losses. He said the PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has given directives to ensure water supply to the tail-end farmers. Sial said he has set up a complaint cell to address the grievances of farmers regarding shortage or water theft. He said many projects of the irrigation department have been affected by scarcity of funds due to Covid-19 emergency.