Sindh Abadgar Board Expresses Concern Over Shortage Of Water In Larkana, Hyderabad Divisions

Sindh Abadgar Board has expressed its grave concern over acute shortage of water in districts of Larkana and Hyderabad division adding that despite availability of sufficient quantity of water in Indus river, the provincial irrigation department has failed to ensure release of water in the system.
HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 7th Aug, 2018 ) :Sindh Abadgar Board has expressed its grave concern over acute shortage of water in districts of Larkana and Hyderabad division adding that despite availability of sufficient quantity of water in Indus river, the provincial irrigation department has failed to ensure release of water in the system.
In a statement, issued on Tuesday, Mahmood Nawaz Shah, Secretary Sindh Abadgar Board stated that Sindh in the past has witnessed water shortages due to lack of water in the river, however, the current situation of widespread water scarcity is unique, unprecedented and difficult to comprehend as today water flowing downstream Kotri and Gudu upstream as 159,000 cusecs showing surplus water in the river.
The flow of water in the river mean that water should be available for the whole irrigation system, but till today it has not been happened resulting to acute shortages in districts of Larkana, Dadu, Qambar Shahdadkot, Badin and Tando Muhammad Khan, he said and added that more than 40 percent of these districts have been affected as a result of acute shortage of water and the farmers are unable to even sow 20 percent of their paddy and seeds in nurseries become more than 40 days old and is rotting because of non transplantation due to lack of water.
The growers who transplanted seed in the hope that water will come are suffering as the plants are dying in the field since there is not water to irrigate, he added.
This shortage is not in the areas where there are chronic issues like tail end areas, this shortage is rather in the areas where water is usually available , he said and added, this is a reflection on the Irrigation Department which is depleting by the day.
The apathy of Irrigation department is damaging the crucial irrigation system of Sindh and badly affecting the livelihood of farmers, he added.
He said, areas of above stated districts are supposed to get full supply of water from May 10th as per official allocation and therefore, the usual harvesting of paddy would otherwise start in September.
This year even in August, growers on large scale are unable to plant, he said.
In addition to this, he informed the growers have planted nurseries the second time, the first time they did in May/June in anticipation of water but that all was damaged as farmers were not able to plant in the fields.

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