Widespread protest in Badin’s town against nagging water crisis

The farmers and growers of the district have launched the decisive movement against the nagging water crisis and reluctance of the concerned officials to fortify the breached and weak dykes of the drains. A large number of the farmers gathered at Tando Bago Drain near Khoski town and marched towards Nindo Shahar on foot to register their peaceful protest against the water crisis and to draw the attention of the high-ups towards the miserable condition of the drains.

Khalil Ahmed Bhurgari, Azizullah Dero, Ameer Azad Panhwar, Abdul Ghaffoor Chandio, Khalid Bhurgari and other leaders of Save Badin Action Committee during their protest sit-in outside the Nindo Shahar Press Club deplored that they were facing an acute water shortage that had created the mess for the farming community forcing them to come on the roads having failed to get any relief from agarvationg situations.

They said that it was the height of the injustice by the concerned functionaries to dep[rive the farmers and growers of the district of their due share of water adding they warned to widen the scope of their protest in each and every town of the district if they were not provided with due shares of the water. The leaders of the action committee said that they would also offer stiff resistance to any move by the Sindh government to ban rice cultivation in Badin district adding they said that persistent water shortage had already broken the back of the farmers of Badin and other districts of lower Sindh.

They lamented the fact that the functionaries of both Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sindh) and irrigation departments, on one hand had failed to ensure just and fair distribution of the water in canals and minors emanating from Kotri Barrage while on the other hand, the same officials were not bothered to fortify the breached and weak dykes of drains including Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD).”

The wde breaches occurred to the dykes of drains including LBOD had wreaked havoc in various districts last year during torrential monsoon downpours were not properly plugged and looked after by the officials” they said and accused the officials of making mockery of their peaceful protest\s in favour of their demands. A large number of the farmers of Hadda Chhar Minor staged the demonstration in Tando Bago town to register their protest against an acute shortage of water in their outlet for the past many months.

Firaq Halepoto, Syed Juman Shah and other leaders of the protesting farmers deplored that the officials were not ready to provide water to them even for drinking purposes. They held irrigation and Sida officials responsible for the water crisis in their area and warned to widen the scope of their protest if water of their share was not released in the minor.

The workers of Sindh Tarqui Pasand Party also took out a rally and staged the demonstration in Pangrio town to protest against the water shortage in the irrigation canals and minors of the district.