Badin locals decry water shortage

The tail end of the canal system in Sindh remains deprived of water, even though Indus River is flowing in low flood downstream the Kotri Barrage, said the community leaders in Badin, the town on the edge of the sea in the Indus Delta.

Despite the rains and flood situation, there is an acute shortage of drinking and agricultural water in many villages spanning the coastal and canal tail areas of Badin.

Due to critical situation, a large number of local residents in these areas staged a protest against the government's indifference and neglect. The protesters chanted slogans against the elected representatives and the irrigation department.

According to details, due to the government's lack of interest, the irrigation department's mismanagement, corruption, and alleged theft of canal water by influential and government-backed individuals, the shortage of drinking and agricultural water persists in most areas of Badin's coastal and canal tail.

Hundreds of residents from different villages, including Khamu Mallah, Illyas Mallah, Allah Rakhio Jutt, and Umar Khaskheli, protested against the shortage of drinking and agricultural water, lack of roads, electricity, health, and education facilities in Union Council Shaheed Dodo Somro, which is irrigated by the Akram Wah canal, a branch of the Gardo canal.

Fishermen, farmers, and leaders, including Mithan Mallah, Mir Muhammad Mallah, Muhammad Hassan Mallah, Fateh Khan Mallah, Salo Mallah, Abdul Majid Jutt, Ghulam Khaskheli, Shah Jahan Shah, and Mutaro Mallah, among others, observed a black day and staged a protest.

The local leaders said that for the past 30 years, the Soomro Branch Canal has not been dredged or cleaned, while on the other hand, influential government-backed individuals, with the patronage of the irrigation department, SIDA, and the Area Water Board, are stealing canal water, making it unavailable for drinking and agriculture in the tail areas of the canal.

Due to the prolonged unavailability of water in the canal, the agricultural land in the area has become barren and desolate, and the agricultural economy has been destroyed, leading to extreme poverty, unemployment, and hunger in the region. People are struggling to find water, and a large number have been forced to migrate.

Mithan Mallah, former district president of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, said that the people of the area have always voted for PPP representatives, but unfortunately, they are still deprived of basic facilities like water, electricity, roads, health, and education.