LARKANA, June 23: A shutter-down strike was observed in Shahdadkot on Wednesday in protest against shortage of water in Saifullah Magsi and SKT branches. On the call of the Sindh Abadgar Board, hundreds of people, including growers, farmers and traders, assembled at the Koto-Moto Chowk.

Speaking on the occasion, Shahdadkot SAB president Ishaq Mughiri, local People's Party Parliamentarians general-secretary Mohammad Haroon Soomro, former adviser to the Sindh chief minister Khuda Dino Chandio and others alleged that the Sindh irrigation official posted at the Saifullah Magsi Branch was facilitating Balochistan growers to steal water.

They said the official had taken no action to remove 45 illegal pipes installed at the branch by growers of Balochistan. They said Balochistan had 57 per cent water share and Sindh 43 per cent at the Grang regulator but Balochistan received more water than its share.

The protesters regretted that only two feet water had been released into the Saifullah Magsi Branch which was not sufficient for cultivation. They alleged that officials had siphoned off Rs42 million released for desilting of the main branch and other waterways.

They demanded an inquiry into the matter. Regretting that water was not available even for drinking purpose, they said the situation would compel people to migrate from the area.

The speakers alleged that irrigation officials and armed growers of Balochistan last Monday forcibly closed water flow into the Saifullah Magsi Branch but Sindh officials remained tight-lipped on the issue.

They said many illegal watercourses had been dug near the Grang regulator. Growers of the Warah Canal's Saeedodero Shakh also held a demonstration and blocked the Larkana-Ratodero road, demanding early release of water to their lands.

SUKKUR: Over 500 peasants and growers of Jacobabad and Thull town on Wednesday staged a demonstration outside the irrigation office of the Garhi Shakh Wah against the water shortage.

The demonstration led by Pakistan Muslim League district president Rehmatullah Soomro marched on the main roads and later staged a sit-in outside the irrigation office.

The protesters claimed that there was no water in the Garhi Shakh due to which rice seedlings were drying up and threatened that they would block the Indus Highway if the water was not released from the Shahi Wah to Garhi Shakh. The protesters alleged that the irrigation authorities were receiving huge money from influential landlords for selling water.

SANGHAR: The tail-end farmers of the Samaro Shakh, located in the Khipro area, staged a sit-in at Shaheed Chowk here on Wednesday to protest against an acute shortage of water.

They said that there was no water at the tail-end of the Samaro Shakh for the last three months as a result even water for drinking purpose was not available in their area.

MIRPURKHAS: Growers of the Jamrao Canal's Mirpur Distributary have said 5,000 acres of land at the tail-end of the distributary have not been cultivated for five years due to non-availability of water.

In a joint press statement issued here on Tuesday, tail-end growers Gul Hassan Panhwar, Essa Panhwar, Mohammad Bux Panhwar, Wali Mohammad, Mevo Khan and others accused influential landlords and office-bearers of farmers' organizations of stealing their share of water.

They regretted that they had contacted irrigation officers and farmers' organizations officials but no action had been taken to ensure water supply to the tail-end area.

SHIKARPUR: A large number of growers on Wednesday took out a procession and staged a demonstration outside the district nazim and DCO Shikarpur offices against the water shortage in Sherkot Shakh.

A delegation led by Paliyo Khoso, Allah Bux Khoso, Nabi Bux Khoso and Ali Dad Khoso called on the district nazim and DCO separately and said that paddy nurseries were drying up due to shortage of water.