Badin remains parched as landlords divert water

BADIN:

Farmers and residents at the tail-end of the Indus River canal system remain deprived of freshwater despite the recent release of water into the Mir Wah Talhar Canal, as influential landowners continue to divert the flow through illegal means.

According to local sources, powerful landlords, in alleged collusion with officials from the Sindh Irrigation Department, have unlawfully built mud dams in the canal, redirecting the water supply to their private farmlands.

The Mir Wah Talhar Canal which serves as a crucial water source for Badin, had remained dry for several months.

Following widespread protests, authorities resumed the canal's water supply late Sunday night to provide drinking water for residents and livestock in the affected villages.

However, shortly after the restoration, influentials, reportedly with the cooperation of officials from the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) and the Area Water Board, erected unauthorised barriers at Shah Ke Dake, near Serani. These obstructions halted the water supply intended for hundreds of coastal villages.