UMERKOT, Nov 26: About 2,200 square kilometres of total 5,700 sq km arable land in the district is still under stagnating rainwater, making it impossible for growers to sow Rabi crops over such a large area, according to deputy commissioner Farid Ahmed Junejo.

The rainwater accumulated a number of union councils of Pithoro, Kunri and Samaro talukas in the wake of heavy rains and breaches in waterways was left to stagnate as it had no way to escape.

Residents of the villages of Qazi Abdul Majeed, Mohammad Ismail, Rahu Khan Bhand, Ismail Rind and Sawan Dal in Pithoro taluka, who took out a procession and blocked Mirpurkhas road near Bacha-Band on Thursday, said that their villages were still under five to seven feet water.

Officials of irrigation department and district administration had turned a deaf ear to their repeated requests for draining out water, they complained.

MNA Mir Munawwar Talpur blamed encroachments in canals, drains and Nullahs for blockage of natural flow of rainwater.

The executive engineer of irrigation (Thar division), Mansoor Memon, said that since the district lacked a drainage system it was difficult to drain out rainwater.

They revived natural drains by removing encroachments and also faced pressure and resistance in the process, he said.

He said that rainwater drained out from other areas like Sanghar district was still moving towards Pithoro taluka and, therefore, 50 per cent area of the taluka was still under water. Kunri and Samaro talukas also faced the same situation, he said.

He said that they had dug up Hiral escape with 12-mile extension and a pocket drain near Bacha Band to drain out water.