The Rice Canal and Keerthar Canal, which are fed from the Indus River, have run dry. PHOTO: FILE
Rice growers in these areas had sown paddy and other crops on about 1.6 million acres of land but have not yet been able to transplant paddy saplings due to the severe shortage of water.
The Rice Canal and Keerthar Canal, which are fed from the Indus River, have run dry. Water is usually released to these canals on May 10 every year, which enables farmers to sow saplings for their crops. This year, however, the release of water has been delayed due to unknown reasons, after which fertile agricultural lands have turned seemingly arid.
The rice sapling is ready for transplantation within a month of its sowing, with the activity gaining full force in June. However, due to the non-supply of irrigation water, transplantation activities have been halted, leaving peasants worried for their sustenance. Most peasants in these areas rely on the crop as their sole means of earnings.
The Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Larkana Chamber of Agriculture (LCA) have already held emergency meetings in this regard, during which they demanded immediate release of water into the affected canals, including the Dadu canal, so that growers can plant paddy saplings. No notice has been taken as of yet by the government or the Indus River System Authority.
LCA president Siraj Rashidi and other members told media that water used to overflow the canals in the past but has not been released this year as of May 20, which means that tillers may face difficulties in earning a livelihood for their families.
An acute rice shortage is also expected during the period due to the late sowing of the crop, because the plant requires proper weather conditions to thrive.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2013.
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