THE recent devastating rains have rendered water channels vulnerable, many of them with silt deposits. Besides, breaches made in canals by growers to drain out accumulated rainwater from farms have not been repaired properly.

Banks of canals and saline water drains were cut for draining out water in absence of proper drainage system. The farmers took recourse to this option to save their Kharif crops in areas located on the left bank of River Indus. The tail-end areas of Rohri and Nara canal were the worst hit. Either, repairs have not been carried out and if carried at all, these are stated to be merely cosmetics.

The farmers complain that authorities are not giving proper attention to repair of damaged canals in the districts of Mirpurkhas, Sanghar and Umerkot. Given poor maintenance of irrigation system, complaints of water shortage, otherwise normal, have become louder.

The breaches have been repaired manually without ensuring compaction. Farmers fear that these channels would breach once they receive full supply of water.

Monsoon downpour mostly hit Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Badin, Sanghar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas and Thatta districts. These areas are located on the left bank of River Indus. The Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) system that touches these districts besides rains also caused havoc in the area.

The LBOD system comprises many saline water drains that pass through these areas. These drains had either overflowed or farmers themselves cut their banks to drain out rainwater standing in their fields. As saline water spread in agricultural lands it affected fertility of the soil. The farmers need river water to improve fertility of the soil.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture representative Nabi Bux Sathio reckons that there are at least 50 to 60 such cuts in four canals of Kotri barrage that provides water to Kotri, Jamshoro, Thatta and Badin districts. “Irrigation officials have repaired these cuts. But these are mere cosmetic in nature.

The required compaction of the canal banks has also not been done through machinery,” he says. The canals do not have full supplies now as only 40 per cent of it is being released. Barring Akram Wah and K.B. (Kalri Baghar) feeder, off-taking canals of Kotri barrage, no canal of the system has allocation for Rabi, he discloses.

“We did not get our share in Kharif due to rains, and now water is available. So farmers having lands under command of these canals should be provided water during Rabi sowing of wheat,” he pleads. It can only be made possible once these cuts are repaired, he says.

Nara canal is the other largest channel of the Indus River system besides Rohri canal. Both canals emanate from Sukkur barrage’s left bank. It feeds areas of Sanghar, Umerkot and entire Mirpurkhas districts. Nara canal goes even up to Tharparkar area, having a command area of close to 2.4 million acres.

Reports of damages to canal system connected with Nara have been received from tail-end areas of this system. The rain hit areas are known for quality cotton and wheat crops. However, Director Nara Ghulam Mustafa Ujjan claims that farmers in his area mostly pump out rainwater and number of cuts is not that high though there are countless cuts in saline water drains. “Nara is having around 8,000 cusec of flow against its present requirement of 10,000 cusec,” he says.

The authorities did allow farmers to divert rainwater from their lands to saline water drains. He admits that rains have rendered water channels vulnerable and there are huge deposits of silt that block the required supply of irrigation water.” In his view farmers should go for late wheat varieties as lands are saturated and would not give normal yield.

Growers are not ready to accept this argument. According to them tail-end areas of Rohri and Nara canals are badly damaged due to cuts. Mithrao and Jamrao that emanate from Nara canal system need revamping immediately otherwise not only Rabi but Kharif sowing would become difficult.

Representative of SCA Zahid Bhurgari maintains that rehabilitation is required on war footing. The irrigation officials have partially closed the cuts. “So whenever the canals get their full indented supply the cuts will be reopen automatically. Growers would be the ultimate sufferers. None is listening to their complaints right now,” he says. He claims that tail end parts of Nara and Naseer divisions are totally disturbed.

It is Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) that administers areas located on the left bank of River Indus. SIDA officials are also working on a short-term plan for Mirpurkhas and Sanghar and Umerkot.

It is being done to avoid damages during next monsoon season. Under the plan these areas would be connected with a drainage outlet linked with the main LBOD system or a separate system will be created.

The farming community expects SIDA to concentrate on repair of damaged channels so that they do not face shortage of irrigation water in the current Rabi and next Kharif seasons.