JHUDDO (Mirpurkhas): Despite large scale destruction of property and fertile land by heavy rains last year because of obstructions in natural drains, the Sindh government is still undecided over modalities to remove the encroachments on drains in Mirpurkhas and Badin districts.

Although the provincial irrigation department is now armed with a new law against encroachers after an amendment to the Sindh Irrigation Act 1879, the department has failed to lodge any case against encroachers.

People fear if the encroachments on Puran Dhoro, a natural storm water drain, are not removed in time they will again be drowned in monsoon season.

The encroachments on the bed of the drain are in the shape of fruit farms and a watercourse near Naukot in Tharparkar district and houses and other settlements near Jhuddo and Tando Bago taluka in Badin district.

The department have not even started work to clear the drains of blockades like silt and weeds, which have shrunk their width and depth.

The government had announced in the wake of last year’s heavy rains that the drains which used to serve as an efficient drainage system would be identified and cleared of all kinds of obstructions.

Puran Dhoro which runs like a river at some places is heavily encroached upon, particularly in Jhuddo where shops, houses and other structures have been illegally built in the drain’s bed over the years, according to local residents.

“We fear if the encroachments are not removed, we will drown and lose our fertile land in the event of heavy monsoon rains this year,” Qazi Faizullah, a grower of Tando Jan Mohammad, Mirpurkhas, told this correspondent during a visit to the district the other day.

He expressed surprise over unnecessary delay in uprooting encroachments. “Puran Dhoro takes water from different areas. Likewise, Naro Dhoro carries water from a different direction and the two drains merge before falling into Run of Kutch,” Qazi said.

Growers of Jhuddo and Tando Jan Mohammad, the worst hit towns of Mirpurkhas district during last year’s rains, say the matter is being unnecessarily delayed.

Mirpurkhas Main Drain (MDM), a component of the Left Bank Outfall Drain, also runs parallel to Puran Dhoro and then falls into it.

Dhoro’s bed looks like a lake or river at Jhuddo-Tando Jan Mohammad bridge. But, when it nears Jhuddo its bed shrinks to 25 to 30 feet and becomes narrower because of heavy encroachments as it enters Jhuddo.

A watercourse supplying water to a mango farm of an influential person cuts off the drain in Naukot.

The area residents believe part of the farm also exists on the drain.

Another natural rain storm drain, Naro Dhoro, has been blocked by a four-foot pipe and it cannot run adequately like it flowed during last year’s rains.

The last year’s downpour led to overflow from the heavily encroached natural drains, leading to inundation of Jhuddo, Tando Jan Mohammad and other areas of Mirpurkhas besides vast swathes of agricultural land.

It prompted President Asif Zardari to call for removal of encroachments from drains. Later, a bill was adopted by the Sindh Assembly on Feb 29, which amended the Sindh Irrigation Act 1879.

The amendment said: “If any person having occupied government land (watercourses) fails to vacate it within seven days they shall be liable to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine up to Rs1 million”.

The commissioner of Mirpurkhas division, Ghulam Hussain Memon, has moved a summary for the payment of compensation to the people willing to dismantle their structures.

The summary awaits Sindh government’s approval.

Official sources said that Mirpurkhas’s revenue authorities had conducted a survey of the drains, according to which there are 94 settlements on the drains in Jhuddo taluka and 74 in Tando Bago. Rs100 million has been proposed as compensation for removal of the structures.

In reply to a question, Mirpurkhas Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Memon said there were around 175 encroachments on Puran Dhoro. Of them 99 are in Jhuddo taluka and the rest in Tando Bago taluka of Badin.

Sindh Irrigation Secretary Babar Effendi who recently visited the area along with a team of growers said that in past efforts were made to dismantle the encroachments but it led to strong resistance by the occupiers.

Therefore, he said, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah advised although the land belonged to the government it would consider payment of compensation to the encroachers on humanitarian grounds.

The official said if the encroachments were not removed, the irrigation department would bypass such areas. “As far land acquisition it is to be done exclusively by revenue department and irrigation department has nothing to do with it,” said Effendi.

The DC disagreed with the secretary, saying “revenue department is custodian of land. A revenue officer will only act as land acquisition officer as per Land Acquisition Act 1894,” he said.