Water crisis: Rangers to be deployed at canals to curb water theft

The growers at the tail end of the canal system decry the shortage of water available to them.

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has issued directions to deploy Rangers personnel at irrigation canals in Mirpurkhas district to curb water theft and asked the relevant officials to take strict action against those violating the rules.

The chief minister also asked senior officials of the provincial irrigation department and the Sindh Irrigation Development Authority (Sida) to ensure adequate supply of water to the tail end of the irrigation system, especially in areas of lower Sindh. He was presiding over a meeting at CM House to discuss the issues of water shortage and evolve a strategy to ensure supply of irrigation water to all parts of the province.

MNA Nawab Yousif Talpur, MPA Basheer Ahmed Halepoto, Irrigation secretary Babar Effendi, secretary to CM Alamudin Bullo, SIDA managing director Zahid Hussain Junejo as well as officers from the Sindh irrigation department attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, the CM said that he had been receiving complaints from public representatives regarding water shortage, especially in parts of lower Sindh. He said that though Sindh was experiencing natural shortage of water, the management could resolve the problems of growers by fair distribution of available water resources.

Shah was of the view that Sindh is an agro-based province with an efficient irrigation system and the potential to grow more. He directed the irrigation secretary to post efficient and honest officers, especially at troubled places, and resolve the problems of growers as soon as possible.

Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Nawab Yousif Talpur has registered a number of complaints against shortage of water in his constituency, including Kunri and Naseer sub-divisions and sought the deployment of Rangers on canals to curb water theft.

Irrigation secretary Babar Effendi told the meeting that the present water shortage was due to the shortage from the upstream in Indus River. He assured the meeting that action would be taken against officials involved in the mismanagement of the water and that he would request the Rangers DG to deploy personnel of the paramilitary force at the canals.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2014.