DADU, July 9: Tail-end areas being fed through waterways originating from the Rice canal and Dadu canal are facing an acute water shortage due to mismanagement of distribution during the current paddy season.

Farmers feared that they might not be able to cultivate only 50 per cent of their land.

The command area of the Rice canal is 529,000 acres and its discharge capacity is 14,500 cusecs from the head at the Sukkur barrage. The situation at waterways including Kudan, Khuda wah, Peja wah, Kalaro, Bego Dero, Abad Shakh, Naro distributary and Kakol wah remained worst-hit since June 10.

Farmers complained that they had cultivated paddy seedlings through water pumped by tubewells.

They said that if water level did not improve by July 15, paddy on 600 acres land would not be cultivated and paddy seedlings would be burnt.

Tail-end farmers of Abad Shakh, Murad Khoso and Khursheed Khoharo complained that they had used diesel oil worth Rs200,000 to cultivate 100 acre land while another portion of 800 acres was remaining uncultivated.

Farmers of Bego Dero Shakh said that watercourses were tampered with at the head of the Rice canal hence water shortage had become acute at tail.

Growers of Mangwani Shakh said that they had only carried out plantation of paddy on 20 acres out of 500 acres.

They said that the situation was continuing since June 10, however, it has improved since the last three days.

He said that he was able to cultivate only 100 acres.

Former district naib nazim of Dadu district, Dr Zahid Hussain Jatoi, said that 80,000 acres land would be affected in Khairpur Nathan Shah taluka due to persisting water shortage in waterways of the Rice canal.

He said that irrigation officials at the Sukkur barrage had carried out the rotation programme which had affected the paddy crop.

Growers Younus Sodhar, Younus Mahessar, Ahmed Ali Sodhar, Ali Mohammad Kandhro and Zulfiqar Kandhro said that irrigation officials were selling water to influential landlord and 80 per cent water courses were tampered with in the Mehar taluka.

They said that a majority of them would not be able to cultivate paddy crop due to mismanagement of irrigation water.

The executive engineer of the Rice canal, Munawar Hussain Bozdar, told Dawn that desilting programmes were completed at 20 waterways originating from the Rice canal in the Mehar sub-division and the water level there had improved.

He said that 100 tampered watercourses were rectified and FIRs against 100 water thieves were registered.

He said that the share of Rice canal was 13,500 cusecs but he was receiving 10,500 cusecs.

He said that when the water level would improve, the problem of shortage would be solved.

DADU CANAL: The command area of the Dadu canal is 500,000 acres land and its share is 5,400 cusecs which is receiving 3,900 cusecs for tail-ends from the Wadha regulator for the Dadu district.

As a result, Chhinni, Lakho, Noonari, Chinjani, 7th, 8th, 9th Shakhs and Daro Shakh have dried up.

Sindh Irrigation Minister Nadir Akmal Leghari told Dawn that the water level in the Indus River was increasing as additional 8,000 cusecs of water was released from Chashma.

He said that the water would reach Sukkur within seven days.

He said that a system was maintained to make judicious water distribution.

He said that he himself was monitoring the distribution of water at canals.

He said that rotation programmes officially were cancelled at the Rice canal, Dadu canal and their waterways and if any official would carry out such programme without prior information, he would be punished.