Sindh’s water blockade hits Balochistan’s paddy crop

QUETTA: The sowing of paddy on over 200,000 acres has been delayed in Nasirabad and Jhal Magsi districts for the last two months as the water share of Balochistan in Khirthar canal has not been released from Sukkur Barrage by the Sindh government.

Officials of the Balochistan Irrigation Department told Dawn that due of shortage of water in the canal, vast area of Nasirabad is facing serious shortage of drinking water.

They said that irrigation department officials of the Sindh government have been informed of the situation, but they are not releasing Balochistan’s share of water in the Khirthar canal.

Provincial President of Zamindar Association Haji Shabbir Umrani and another leader, Haider Khan Jamali, told a press conference on Thursday that paddy plants of farmers have dried up because of the inadequate water supply.

“The sowing season of paddy will end in the next few days, causing heavy financial losses to farmers,” they said.

They said that due to the severe water crisis in Khirthar command area, the main canal and its sub-branches are dry.

Due to extreme heat, people are struggling even to find drinking water and livestock are dying of thirst with people burying their dead without following proper procedure.

They criticised the Sindh government and the federal water distribution agency for the loss to landowners.

They also criticised the provincial ministers and elected representatives of Balochistan for watching the destruction of the provincial agriculture, but doing nothing to redress the issue.

Only statements and no action

They said that although the technical fault at the Sukkur Barrage has affected the entire barrage system, all of Sindh’s canals have been receiving full supply of water, and only the Khirthar canal of Balochistan has no water in it.

The farmers’ leaders said that during peak paddy sowing season, the provincial irrigation minister and elected representatives of Balochistan from canal areas should have set up a camp office at the Sukkur Barrage with the irrigation secretary to monitor the water supply situation.

But everyone in Balochistan dodges their responsibility by giving only statements in media or on the provincial assembly’s floor, the lamented.

The farmers’ leaders noted that among 10 members of the provincial assembly from canal districts of Balochistan, only Mir Faisal Khan is actively working to resolve the water issue.

They recalled that former minister of irrigation, Mohammad Khan Lehri, took immediate action last year as he had set up a camp office at the Sukkur Barrage to ensure full water supply to Balochistan.

They appealed to the Balochistan chief minister and other officials concerned to take immediate action to resolve the matter.

They said that the Landowners Association has decided to file a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court during the Kharif season to address Balochistan’s water issue on a permanent basis.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2024