No respite for water-deprived farmers as protest enters day 13

Irrigation secretary meets protesters, urges them to end sit-in.

KARACHI/ BADIN:

The sit-in by a large number of villagers of subdivision Khairpur Gambo, Badin, in front of district jail against the lack of irrigation water for more than two and a half months entered day 13 on Saturday.

Under the aegis of the Sindh Abadgar Tanzeem, the water-deprived farmers have been demonstrating outside the jail since June 2.  Chanting slogans ‘jail or water’, they have been trying to highlight their plea and get the attention of authorities concerned.

The farmers had earlier staged a long march from Badin to Hyderabad on April 22 and blocked Hyderabad railway track to record their protest. They called off their protest after irrigation and district officials gave assurances of uninterrupted water supply to their area. “We received water for 24-hours on April 27 only,” said a grower of Malkani Sharif town, Tariq Mehmood Arain. “Uninterrupted water supply is our due right and that’s all we ask of the administration and the government.”



Arain claimed that there was no drinking water in Malkani Sharif, Khairpur Gambo town, Sangi Furho town, Hayat Khaskheli and parts of Jhudo taluka. “The dearth of water causes economic ruin. Officials and representatives are fully aware of this problem but they don’t take stern measures because the issue has become politicised.” While talking to The Express Tribune, Arain said that 64 direct outlets from Udhero Lal, Sanghar, right before Khairpur Gambo, were diverting water to the agriculture lands of politically-influential landlords and depriving tail-end farmers of their share. There will be sufficient water for growers if these outlets are destroyed, he suggested.

The other side

On the other hand, the district administration claimed that it was the first time that the tail-end consumers of Naseer Canal were being provided water.  Moreover, Sindh Irrigation Secretary Babar Afandi met with the protesters on Tuesday and requested them to end their sit-in.

“Yes, he came but without water,” told another grower, Syed Fayaz Shah. “He made promises but we’ll not leave until smooth water supply is ensured.” “It is the first time that the district government has made sure that there is water in Naseer Canal,” said Badin Commissioner Rafique Qureshi. “Water shortages are normal in this season and even the villagers know that.”

Qureshi told The Express Tribune that there was no water theft in his jurisdiction, adding that other districts should ensure checks and balances in their areas. Most of Khairpur Gambo is inundated when floods and heavy rainfall hit upper Sindh. “We are flooded when there is heavy rainfall but there is drought-like situation when there is water theft by the upper riparian,” Shah added,  “The irrigation act doesn’t allow anyone to grow wheat but one can easily see how this act is being violated.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2013.