Irrigation water shortage highlighted in Sindh PA

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Lawmakers in the Sindh Assembly on Saturday raised the issue of the shortage of irrigation water in the province, fearing upcoming crops would be damaged if the situation did not quickly improve.

Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza chaired the session on Saturday.

Haji Munawar Abbasi of the PPP expressed concern over the shortage of water in canals of Indus River's right bank, saying rice crop would suffer if it was not irrigated on time.

Ayesha Khoso, another PPP legislator, said that water shortage in the Jacobabad area had forced people to stage fierce protests.  Pakistan Muslim League-Functional's (PML-F) Jam Madad Ali said that there was an acute shortage of irrigation water in the Jamrao division, adding that tail-end growers had been badly affected.

He said he had personally complained to the Sindh Irrigation Minister over the water scarcity without any positive outcome. Abdul Razzaq Rahimon of Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded (PML-L) group raised the issue of a fire in a village in Tharparkar in which 200 houses had been damaged, urging the government to support the fire victims.

Earlier, Shahid Taheem was sworn in as member of the provincial assembly.