BADIN: A group calling itself the Save Badin Action Committee (SBAC) on Monday announced that it would resume its sustained campaign in the first week of next month for the removal of all barricades from irrigation channels of this district as per the relevant orders of the Sindh High Court.

Speaking to the media, Mir Noor Ahmed Talpur, Azizullah Dero, Khalil Ahmed Bhurgari, Mir Ghulam Rasool Talpur, Syed Khuda Dino Shah and other members of the committee recalled that the court had on Sept 8 last year ordered formation of a committee with the task of removing all impediments obstructing flow of water in the irrigation channels of Badin district. They said the court had directed that the committee should submit its report within the next three months.

They said the department and Sida and were also flouting the court order by releasing water into flood canals at a time when most areas of this district were not getting even drinking water.

They lamented that the irrigation department and officials of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) had failed to comply with the court’s order. They said the department and Sida were still dilly-delaying on the formation of the committee even after a lapse of over four months.

They pointed out that the court had also asked the proposed committee to look into the complaints regarding diversion of irrigation water to the lands of influential figures from the command area of Sukkur Barrage.

The activists said that they intended to nominate World Bank representatives as a party when a relevant contempt petition would be taken up by the high court’s Hyderabad bench on Jan 22.

They said World Bank was funding the irrigation project costing Rs6 billion.

They urged the WB representatives here to take strong notice of the blockages created in the channels. They regretted that the WB officials did not spare time to attend any of their several meetings on the issue.

The SBAC was formed last year to raise its voice against an artificial water crisis in this district. It had run a sustained struggle for the clearance of all irrigation channels carrying water to the district.

It maintains that the water blockage was affecting over 1.5 million people in Badin district and rendering their lands barren.

Zardari’s close aide becomes area water board chairman

Qabool Mohammad Khatian, president of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SAC) and a close aide to Pakistan Peoples Party supremo Asif Ali Zardari, has been made chairman of Left Bank Canal’s area water board which looks after irrigation water issues in lower Sindh.

The post was lying vacant after recent death of Suhail Akbar Mirza, a close relative of estranged PPP leader and former home minister Zulfikar Ali Mirza.

A notification for the appointment of Mr Khatian was issued by the Sida managing director.

Speaking to this reporter, Mr Khatian said he was given the new task on a directive of Mr Zardari. He said he would try his best to resolve the water issues of lower Sindh, including Badin district.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2020