Rangers being deployed around Indus to stop water theft

Sindh caretaker Chief Minister Fazul-ur-Rehman has decided to deploy Pakistan Rangers at different canals, distributaries and channels to stop water theft so that water could be provided at the tail-end. He made this decision, presiding over a meeting of Irrigation department to review water position at different barrages at the CM House, here on Thursday. Caretaker Irrigation Minister Mushtaq Shah, Principal Secretary to the CM Sohail Rajput and Secretary Irrigation Syed Jamal Shah attended the meeting.
Jamal Shah briefed the chief minister on water position. He said situation has considerably improved at Guddu Barrage where 81328 cusecs of water was recorded.
Position at different barrages is as follows: Guddu Barrage upstream is 81328 cusecs and downstream is 63948 cusecs; Sukkur Barrage upstream 48401 and downstream 15831 cusecs; Kotri Barrage upstream 6880 cusecs.
The chief minister was told that the allocation for Guddu Barrage is 31100 cusecs; Balochistan 6700 cusecs, Sukkur Barrage 5600; Balochistan 2200 and Kotri Barrage 32500. Guddu Barrage withdrawal: Begari Sindh feeder withdrawal 3054; desert Pat Feeder 7700; Ghotki Feeder 6626.
Sukkur Barrage: North western canal 3100; Rice Canal 4040; Dadu Canal 2360; Nara Canal 10500, Khairpur Feeder East 1415, Rohri Canal 10000, Khairpur Feeder West 1155. Kotri Barrage: Kalri Baghar 2660; Akram Wah 640; Pinyari 1530; New Phuleli 2125. In this the total withdrawal of canals of Sindh is 56905 cusecs.
The chief minister said Nara Canal has the capacity of 13649 cusecs against which it withdraws 10500 cusecs. "This is not bad situation but even then there is acute shortage at the end of Nara Canal," he said. On this, the secretary irrigation said there was water theft at different distributaries and so far 50 FIRs have been registered.
Caretaker Chief Minister decided to deploy Rangers in aid to the police so that water theft could be stopped. 'My objective is to provide water to all the tail-enders; therefore, I am going to deploy Rangers and the cases of theft will be registered directly against the landlord not against their kamdars (employees)," he said. The chief minister directed the Secretary Irrigation to identify the spots of canals, distributaries and branches from where water is stolen.