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Daudpota opens

desilting drive

NAWABSHAH: The Sindh Governor, Air Marshal Azim Daudpota (Retd) on Wednesday inaugurated the desilting operation of irrigation channels in Sindh province.

The function was held at Chotko distributary at RD No. 35.5 of Gajrah Irrigation Branch in Nusrat Irrigation Division, Nawabshah.

A detailed briefing was given to the governor by Brig Sartaj, in-charge desilting operation, Sukkur and Larkana Divisions, on behalf of general officer commanding (GOC) Ñ 16 division.

The governor was informed that the task assigned to the army was to carry out, monitor and identify desilting work being performed on self-help basis and mechanical means and remove all un-authorised mogas (water courses) by ensuring correct sizes of the authoritised ones.

In all 10,000 troops would be involved in the desilting operation throughout Sindh who would work along side the irrigation officers, abadgars/growers to help them in manual desiltation work in their respective areas.

The governor was informed that 147 channels spread over 611.65 miles and covering a quantity of 17.335 million cubic feet off-take from Sukkur Barrage would be desilted on self-help basis, whereas 229 channels Ñ 168 from Sukkur Barrage and 61 from Gudu Barrage Ñ streching 1,405.7 miles and covering a quantity of 100.7 million cubic feet, would be desilted through mechanical means.

The governor was informed that the troops would assume over all control of desilting operation and coordinate with all concerned civil departments in respective area of their responsibility.

The army would ensure that maximum troops participate in the manual work of desiltation, follow intergated approach as per guide line for execution of work and to ensure that desilting operation was completed within specified period.

The troops would not assume the supervisory role, rather would physically participate in the task thereby organising desiltation work proportionately to the land-holdings giving more priority to the tail reaches.

Besides manual desilting from Wednesday onwards, each units has opened irrigation complaint cell in its respective area where problems of farmers would be received and addressed through proper channel.

Each army unit comprising 300 to 400 individuals has been given approximately 50 to 60 miles of length for manual desilting and each unit was expected to desilt three to four miles per day during the closure period of 15 to 17 days.

Irrigation Secretary Idrees Rajput also presented a briefing on desiltation work to the governor and said that irrigation system was an old system and that responsibility of the irrigation was to make water available for agriculture lands, and to ensure its judicious distribution so that every one, even the tail-enders, should get due share of water for their consumption.

He described two problems confronting distribution of water, which included technical and social, as a result of which the farmers face difficulties in getting their share of water.

Regarding technical problem, he said that due to flat lands in Sindh the settling of sand was more which required desiltation every year.

He said that as per directives of General Pervez Musharraf, 50 percent of desiltation work would be carried out this year instead of 33 percent being performed every year. He also opined that half of the work would be undertaken by mechanical means and the rest half would be performed manually. The involvement of 10,000 troops in this work in Sindh was aimed as accomplishing the task more efficiently with lesser budget, he added.

According to the irrigation secretary the second problems was social as a result of which water courses/modules were being broken by the vested elements in connivance with the irrigation staff which hampers smooth flow of water to the tail-enders.

Prime object of the present desilting campaign was to check such spots, ensure their rehabilitation in the interest of the farmers community, identity the people involved in water theft and penalise them for their crime. This time the people found involved would have to pay 10 times more water rate as against their actual amount.

The secretary also informed that Rs 7 billion would be spent on desilting operation this year, which was half of the budget being allocated to the irrigation department for this purpose annually.

Later, the governor formally launched the desilting drive in Sindh by operating hydraulic excavator on Chotko minor.

The campaign would continue upto January 25, 2000. The governor was accompanied by the Sindh Minister for Irrigation, A.N.G. Abbasi, and GOC Pano Akil, Major Gen Fahim Akhta.ÑAPP