SUKKUR, Sept 5: Shortage of water in Sukkur and Guddu barrages is affecting rice crop in the province. The government has decided to release two and a half feet water from the Tarbela Dam a day for Sindh to save the crop and according to irrigation officials of Sukkur, five feet water has already been taken from Tarbela in two days.

Irrigation sources told this correspondent that despite getting the water from Tarbella, canals originating from the Sukkur Barrage were flowing with 30 to 40 per cent less water, causing damage to the rice crop.

The sources said if the situation did not improve, there would be 60 per cent water shortage by December. They said the level of Tarbela was 1,485 feet while it should have been up to 1,550 feet.

They feared that if the supply of two and half feet water from Tarbela was continued and the water shortage persisted, the dam would become empty by December as the outflow of the dam was 150,000 cusecs against the inflow of 87,000 cusecs.

Irrigation officials said water flow upstream Sukkur Barrage was 79,000 cusecs on Friday and a decrease of 2,000 cusecs was likely in 24 hours. The Rohri Canal is also facing water shortage as it is getting 10,800 cusecs of water against required 13,000 cusecs, the NWC Canal is being supplied with 6,000 cusecs against 7,500 cusecs and the Rice Canal, requiring 14,300 cusecs, is flowing with 12,600 cusecs. The Dadu Canal is getting 3,100 cusecs less water.

MAN KILLED: A man was killed and a woman was injured in a dispute over water rotation in the Mohammad Punhal Chillan village, Khanpur police station jurisdiction, Shikarpur, on Sunday.

Mohammad Qasim, along with other persons, was irrigating land when some unidentified people arrived and opened indiscriminate firing, killing Qasim and injuring Abida. The injured was taken to a local hospital.

Relatives of Qasim alleged that Ali Jan and his accomplices were involved in the killing as they had a dispute over water rotation. However, no case was registered till the filing of this report.