Protests erupt over water shortages across Sindh

Farmers claim lack of irrigation water is turning fertile land barren, despite high flow in Indus

HYDERABAD:

Despite the high flow in the Indus river, acute water shortages are plaguing residents across Sindh and drying up their agricultural fields.

Protests erupted in several cities of Sindh on Sunday and Monday as residents and farmers vented their anger against the provincial government and irrigation officials.

Johi's residents and farmers held a protest rally in Hyderabad, with both men and women decrying the Sindh government's failure to supply water to their town.

Muhammad Yousuf Solangi, a local farmer, alleged that landlords connected with the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were stealing water from their share in Johi, further claiming that around 100,000 acres of arable land in the area had turned arid because of the persistent lack of irrigation for several years.

"Water is being stolen from the Johi branch with the help of over 100 illegal direct outlets," he stated, demanding that those involved in this theft be booked in accordance to the irrigation laws.

Dr Hameed Soomro, another protester, stressed the need for remodelling and desilting the Johi branch waterway to ensure the supply of water to tail-end areas.

Expressing regret that they had given the mandate to PPP legislators and local government representatives who had failed to protect their rights, they warned of holding a demonstration outside Bilawal House in Karachi if the matter was not resolved.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Hyderabad division president Sadaqat Jatoi called for the deployment of Rangers to prevent water theft in Johi. At a press conference on Sunday, he stated that the water supply scheme for the town, on which the Sindh government claimed to have spent Rs360 million, was still not functional.

Former Dadu district nazim Kareem Jatoi, too, claimed that the city and its towns had not seen any development in the 12 years of the PPP's rule in Sindh.

Moreover, Grand Democratic Alliance general secretary Ayaz Palijo said the 'corrupt' local PPP leaders stood in the way of the supply of water to poor farmers in the tail-end areas of the irrigation network.

"The poor growers are being robber of their share of irrigation water in all parts of Sindh," he said in a statement. "Irrigation officials supply water to the lands of the PPP ministers first, then sell most of the remaining water to rich farmers."

Separately, a protest was held on the National Highway in Qambar-Shahdadkot district, with the demonstrators demanding the supply of water to Naseerabad and Warah towns. They claimed an artificial shortage of irrigation water was being created, turning fertile land barren.

They warned they would not disperse until water was supplied to even the tail-end areas of their towns. Later, irrigation officials negotiated with the farmers, assuring them that water would be supplied to their towns within five days. The protest ended after they provided the commitment in writing.

Meanwhile, farmers blocked the highway connecting Sindh with Balochistan in Jacobabad district for four hours too, levelling similar charges of artificial water shortages in Begari canal and its distributaries.

"The irrigation officials have turned our lands dry at the time of rice sowing," deplored Alam Khan Jamali, a farmer.

The situation is the same in the coastal district of Sujawal, where protesting farmers blamed influential landlords in Jati taluka for stealing their share of water in collusion with the irrigation officials.

"We are sowing the rice crop using borrowed amounts of water. But the rich landlords and irrigation officials have deprived us of our rightful share of water," said one of the protesters.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2020.