Badin agriculturists decry corruption in irrigation dept

Funds to repair watercourses, LBOD not properly utilised, farmers say

BADIN:

The political, social and farming circles of Badin have expressed deep concern over the alleged corruption of millions of rupees annually in the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA).

Pakistan Thereek-i-Insaf (PTI) Badin President Azizullah Dero and Advocate Ram Kohli have accused officials of the Sindh government and local officials of the water department of misappropriating funds meant for repair and maintenance of waterways.

Local famers including Lala Nawaz, Atta Chandio, Mian Shakeel Arain, and Badshah Jamali pointed out that SIDA gets billions of rupees annually but in spite of this there were no repairs made to the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD), Paran River embankment and other small and large culverts in the coastal and flood-hit areas of Badin.

They say that broken and damaged watercourses were among the chief reasons why flood water could not be drained even seven months after the exponential rains and the flood.

Leading farmers of Badin, Mir Noor Ahmed Talpur and Malak Akhtar Awan, while talking to The Express Tribune said that encroachment on the natural passage of Paran River caused flood destruction in the area. Obstructing the flow of the river caused the river to break its banks and inundate the district, they said.

As always, this year also Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro had inaugurated the project for the construction and repair of LBOD and the restoration of Doro Paran, a natural passage of water, which will cost Rs5 billion, they said adding that billions worth of funds are dumped into LBOD and other sewerage schemes each year without any results.

They have demanded of the Sindh government to ensure desilting of waterways and removal of encroachment and squatters from river bed before the rains.

Prominent community leaders Piroz Shahani, Abdul Shakoor Nahriu, and Bashir Ahmad Notakani said that as per law no one can own the riverine land, the maximum limit of the river bank. Hence it is up for grabs for powerful people who even shelter robbers and criminal elements to secure their illegally acquired land, they said.

The urged the government to mobilise the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) to identify and prosecute people grabbing riverine lands, locally known as katcha areas.

Expressing doubts if the government will actually act against the people grabbing kutcha lands, they said the only hope was that the chief justice of Pakistan takes suo-moto notice on the issue.

Constructions in the way of water flow have led to devastating floods, they said accusing government officials of taking heavy commissions and bribes to turn a blind eye on encroachment on the river bed.

The chief justice should establish a commission and conduct an inquiry against those involved as well as those responsible for SIDA, they demanded.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2023.