Experts body to resolve water rotation issue demanded

The working committee of Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) has demanded that a committee should be constituted comprising serving and retired irrigation officers, agri and hydro scientists, and representatives of Law and Finance Ministries for permanent resolution of the water rotation problem.
The working committee, which met here on Saturday under the chairmanship of SAB President Abdul Majeed Nizamani, said that frequent transfers of irrigation officers or deployment of Rangers was no solution to the problem. The committee discussed in detail the negative impact of rotation system introduced in various parts of irrigation network in the province at a time when Indus River deluge is passing through the province. It said that introduction of rotation system has no justification except to cover the inefficiency and corruption of irrigation officials.
The committee demanded that a judicial inquiry should be initiated to identify the cause of rotation system and to fix responsibility.
It said that during the past five years no crop had crossed 70 percent of production, especially in the areas where rotation system had been introduced during all these years, and demanded that growers who have suffered production losses should be compensated.
The committee also discussed government policy with regard to chemical fertiliser manufacturing companies, multinational companies engaged in import of hybrid seeds and agriculture machinery supplying their produce to growers through dealers and said that this modus operandi was against the growers' interests, and demanded that all these companies and manufacturers be directed to provide growers facilities for direct purchase with all concession given to growers.
Referring to wheat and sugar crises and decline in sugarcane cultivation area by 17 percent as compared to last year the committee pointed out that cane growers till now have not been paid for their produce supplied last year. The committee also demanded that sugar mills should resume their crushing season by October as per Sugar Control Act. The committee also demanded that a meeting of all stakeholders including growers and mills owners should be convened without further delay to resolve these problems.