MIRPURKHAS: Farm­ers, peasants, activists of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and members of general public took to the streets in several Sindh towns on Thursday in protest against nagging water shortage in the province.

Jhuddo town of Mirpur­khas district remained completely shut as hundreds of growers and farm workers took out a rally which terminated outside the local offices of irrigation department where the protesters raised slogans over acute shortage of water in the taluka for last three months.

The protesters later marched to chilli market chowk where they staged a sit-in and blocked the main Mirpurkhas-Jhuddo road.

The protesters’ leader Javed Ahmed Junejo, chairman of Farmers Organisa­tion Council Sindh, accused irrigation department officials of selling water

to influential landlords at the heads of canals and distributaries after receiving huge bribe, causing never-ending shortage in

tail-end areas, particularly in Jhuddo, Digri, Nabisar and Naukot talukas.

He said the taluka was not getting water for the past three months and farmers could not sow cotton and other crops while mango and banana orchards were getting destroyed for want of water.

Formed nazim of Thar­parkar Arbab Anwer and Tail Abadgar Associa­tion president Prof Yousuf Raj­put said that illegal direct outlets and tampered water modules were the main cause of water shortage.

They demanded the authorities concerned hand over the irrigation system to Rangers, close all tampered modules and remove illegal pumping machines to ensure judicious distribution of water.

They rejected recently announced rotation programme and said they would hold a demonstration and block Mirpurkhas-Hyder­abad road on May 2 to force the authorities concerned to restore water supply to tail-end areas.

SUKKUR: Activists of JUI-F took out a rally in Jacobabad in protest against closure of water supply to the city for the past one month despite availability of water in ponds.

The rally started from district office of JUI-F and reached DC Chowk where the participants held a sit-in for some time before moving on to the press club where they staged sit-in again and blocked the road.

JUI-F leaders said that since the underground water in Jacobabad was un­fit for consumption, people were compelled to purchase drinking water at exorbitant rates.

The admin­istration of Jacob­abad was least concerned about citizens’ problems, they said.

They demanded the district administration as well as elected public representatives resolve water shortage, otherwise, they would continue the protest.

MITHI: A large number of farmers and villagers resumed their protest on Thursday against water crisis in their areas for the past many years.

The protesters’ leaders told journalists in Kaloi town that the artificial shortage of water in the only water channel of the district Rann Minor had forced several families to migrate to other areas.

They said that people in Kaloi, Satoon Mile and other towns and villages were forced to drink highly contaminated and brackish water of wells, which was causing waterborne diseases.

They said that head of Supreme Court-appointed commission on water quality and drainage in Sindh retired Justice Amir Hani Muslim had directed officials concerned during his recent visit to the area to ensure equitable distribution of water but nobody paid heed to him.

They urged the judge to visit the area again to inspect alarming situation in the canal.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2018