LARKANA: The Larkana circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday summoned chief engineers of left and right banks of Indus River, superintendent engineer of Saifullah Magsi branch, executive engineer of Warah Canal, chief engineer of Sukkur Barrage and Sindh additional prosecutor general to appear in court on Aug 1.

They were summoned in connection with a petition filed by Rasool Bakhsh Selro and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari, complaining shortga eof water in Rice Canal, North Western (NW) Canal and Dadu Canal and requesting for water as per their due share.

The petitioner represented by advocate Rafique Ahmed K. Abro said that they cultivated paddy and wheat for their livelihood and the respondents were not releasing water in all the three canals within time and according to the specific share.

They said it was due to differences among irrigation officers that the petitioners were facing water shortage in the canals in question.

The petitioners said that the late arrival of water paired with its shortage would lead to less yield and 30 to 35 per cent command area in the canals could not be brought under cultivation. Therefore, the growers would suffer heavy losses, they said.

The respondents had been receiving billions of rupees for repairing of the banks of the canals, but they had only usurped the money and inflicted financial loss to the government, the petitioners said.

The canals offtaking from the Left Bank of Sukkur Barrage were getting water as per their specification, the petitioners said. They personally time and again approached the respondents and requested them for providing water, but they threatened the petitioners instead, the petition maintained.

The petitioners prayed the court to direct the respondents to provide water to three canals — Rice Canal, NW Canal/Kirthar Canal and Dadu Canal — as per their due share without further delay as the respondents had failed to receive water from May5, 2023.

They also prayed for direction to the Sindh government irrigation secretary to constitute a neutral committee of experts for inspecting the three canals and adjoining water channels as the respondents had received budget in billions of rupees for desilting and work on banks, but nothing had been done.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2023