THATTA: Bula Khan Lashari, a middle-aged farmer of Mirpur Sakro in Thatta, is worried about lower per-acre yields due to belated transplantation of paddy crop on his land.

He gets irrigation water from Kotri Barrage’s canal system of Kalri Baghar (KB) feeder that feeds Thatta, one of the extreme tail-end districts of Sindh.

In Sindh, farmers like him use hybrid variety of paddy for cultivation. It gives higher per-acre yields and fetches them more income.

Water shortage driven by injudicious distribution of water affects farmers almost every year in lower Sindh’s Badin, Thatta, Sujawal and Tando Mohammad Khan districts that are fed by Kotri Barrage and some parts by Sukkur Barrage’s Rohri Canal.

This year’s shortage is, however, taking extra economic toll on growers. It has made matters worse for them. Growers faced exceptional delays in crops’ sowing.

It would lead to decline in paddy’s acreage this year, too. “We transplanted paddy [red rice variety] after a delay of 45 days and hybrid variety after 40 days. Both are to be otherwise transplanted after 30 and 23 days respectively once nurseries get matured”, Lashari told Dawn.

Farmers cultivate red rice for personal consumption and hybrid for the market. Fears of lower yields now haunt Lashari. “100 mds per acre productivity would have been achievable had I been able to transplant crop in time. Now this will drop to 60 mds an acre,” he regrets.

Thatta’s farmers blame irrigation officials for disparity in giving effect to the rotation programme for water distribution. Many lift water through machines from relevant channel somehow. “High or mighty face no rotation. But people like me do,” he deplores.

He says that the channel which feeds his and other farmers’ lands need desilting as it does not carry required quantum of flows due to silting. Ghar Ghagi channel of Sakro branch which is part of KB feeder feeds his lands.

“Water flows improved only a fortnight back. Situation in extreme tail-end will now change. By the next month rains will help us, too”, says Raheem Qureshi, a KB Feeder officer.

Abbas Soomro in Tando Mohammad Khan district shares same concerns. His lands are fed by Kotri Barrage’s non-perennial Old Phuleli Canal. “Technically, farmers who are dependent on this canal should not [face] such rotation as we get water for six months. But situation is otherwise,” he remarks.

Shortage hit summer crops’ sowing, according to Sindh agriculture department. Cotton sowing target of 640,000ha remained unchanged in 2020 and 2021. But cotton could be sown on 83pc area (531,200ha) until June 22 against 96pc acreage (614,611ha) in corresponding period last year.

Likewise, paddy’s sowing target of 800,000ha remained unchanged. Paddy could be sown on 8pc area (64,150ha) on June 22 against 20pc sowing (159,983ha) in 2020 the same day.

Water shortage in Indus River system has been exceptional this season, leading to bickering between Punjab, Sindh and the Indus River System Authority (Irsa). Punjab and Sindh are engaged in a dispute over appointment of independent inspectors for monitoring of flows in Sindh and Punjab.

Sindh agreed to monitoring provided Wapda stays away from it for it lacks jurisdiction. Sindh irrigation sources said that agreed upon points discussed in the June 16 meeting at Irsa have not been issued yet by Irsa which regulates interprovincial water distribution.

A big dip in flows

Until June 29, Lashari did not know water flows that improved slightly in last few days have recorded major dip of 15,000 cusecs. It would affect crops in days to come yet again and aggravate situation in Sindh. The drip is reported at Chashma Barrage.

Water flows downstream Chashma head for Sindh’s first barrage, Guddu. At Panjnad water flows are provided for Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canal (Sindh objects to its opening when Kharif sowing is under way in lower riparian’s command), Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh in Punjab and Kachhi Canal for Balochistan.

Total 190,000 cusecs of flows were released downstream Chashma on June 28 that dropped to 175,000 cusecs on June 29. Irsa, it is learnt, is said to have written a letter to Wapda seeking flows’ data of Bisham, one of the rim stations of Indus River system where flows are observed, for correct analysis.

“In view of June 29 dip, we are bracing for another water crisis. It will continue till July 10 given travel time water between barrages in Sindh and Punjab,” says an official. His calculations about indent and accord-wise water shortage reveals that Taunsa Barrage which had a share of 14,000 cusecs in June’s third ten-daily basis had drawn 28,000 cusecs of water — almost 100pc over and above the share.

Taunsa bore with 6pc shortage although indent-wise. Provinces submit indents to Irsa to get share of their water under Water Accord 1991 worked out on ten-daily basis.

Flows figures, say officials, show Indus in Punjab got 39,943 cusecs of water which is 41.6pc plus in terms of share of 28,200 cusecs in Water Accord till June 30. Sindh had to bear with 8.85pc shortage as it got 119,491 cusecs of water against accord-based share of 131,100 cusecs. Balochistan faced 13.86pc shortage as it got 8,786 cusecs against its share of 10,200 cusecs.

Guddu Barrage experienced 20.1pc and Sukkur 16.65pc till June 30. It was only Kotri that started getting improved flows, under Sindh government’s directives, to offset impact of shortage for early sowing in lower Sindh. The barrage got 40,865 cusecs which is 15.76 over and above its allocation of 35,300 cusecs in June. Kotri had otherwise borne 65.2pc in May and it is likely to face shortage again.

So, Lashari has to pull up his socks.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2021