BADIN, May 24: Hundreds of growers of Badin, Tando Bago and Golarchi talukas reached here on Wednesday and took out a rally against what they called ruination through an artificial shortage of irrigation water in the district.

The rally, led by Abdul Jabbar Gopang, Dr Aakash Ansari, Maulana Abdul Sattar Chawaro, Zafar Ali Shah and other prominent traders, citizens and the activists of NGOs, started from Qattar Mosque and reached at the secretariat of the district nazim.

They were raising slogans against irrigation officials and the Sindh government shortage of irrigation water.

The call was given by Water Action Committee, Badin and an NGO, against shortage of water and indifferent attitude of the irrigation officials against the local people by British Oil Company operating in Badin district.

The protester staged a sit-in in front of the DCO office.

The speakers alleged that for the last six months, no water was released in Mirwah, Kazia, Imam Wah, Dubi minor and other waterways incurring huge losses to economy.

They said the prevailing water shortage in the district would not only have a devastating effect on the Kharif crops but also every thing including livestock and the population was under threats in the coastal belt of the district.

They said that people of Badin were already hit by natural calamities at least on seventeen times but the government failed to even waive the loans.

They said that they would continue their protest till release of water in the canals.

They also expressed their concern over the indifferent attitude of oil company’s representatives towards the local people.

They ended their protest after the district chairman of the Area Water Board, Hashim Dal, assured growers that water would be released in canals within two days and regular supply of water would be made from June 1, he said. Mr Dal said that a delegation of growers would also meet with the minister for irrigation at Karachi on Friday to apprise him of growers’ problem.

He assured the growers that sufficient water would be provided to them during the paddy sowing in the district.