Anti-encroachment drive: President puts together team to remove settlements on River Indus

KARACHI:

From Kashmore to Thatta people have built farm houses and bunds that have narrowed the River Indus. But on Wednesday, President Asif Ali Zardari put together a committee to demolish them.

The committee will be headed by water expert and former irrigation department secretary Idrees Rajput.

Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Saifullah Dhareejo told The Express Tribune that the president was briefed about the encroachments on the river. "The president has directed the departments to arrange for machinery and to launch an operation [to remove] encroachments where people have established farm houses and settlements," he said. The Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority will oversee the operation. Government officials have also been asked to act against influential people involved in diverting the river by digging canals.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd,  2011.