LARKANA:The only source of water for the farmers of Naundero is the tube wells of Scarp Irrigation Department, whose electricity is also in the hands of WAPDA. And that too is often closed.

This was stated by President, Larkana Chamber of Agriculture (LCA), Syed Sirajul Oliya Rashdi, in a message sent to the newsmen here on Monday for Commissioner, Larkana division to take notice and efforts to save residents and farmers of Naundero.

He said in his message that whether the farmer is from Punjab or Sindh, his problems are the same adding when the farmer does not get water and other facilities from the government, the peasant will be forced to cut the gardens planted by his ancestors and build colonies (so far over 17 gardens have been removed), or what else will he do?, he asked. How will you meet your household expenses? This is the situation of Sindh, he declared. In an example, I present to you an exemplary city of Sindh, which gave Pakistan two prime ministers and the current foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also belongs to this town, Naundero, through which the Saidu Dero Minor passes, but there has been no water in it for 15 years as its has been converted into a vast sewage drain which is alarming and enough proof for destruction of thousands of agricultural lands.

He said the Sindh High Court also ordered water to be provided in it within 15 days but the court order was blown up by the irrigation engineers just like how you had enforced Section 144 to stop removal of sand from Rice Canal, but the Irrigation and Police Department blew it up and the sand is still continued to be lifted despite allocation of huge desilting budget because a mafia is involved which charge Rs 500 per dumper, he added, which need to be curbed.

He said that even though the current MPA, Faryal Talpur directed the irrigation officials but they failed to comply with her instructions and did not provide water, forcing people to start building residential colonies by cutting mango and guava orchards from the city which once was a town full of gardens and greenery on three sides and it presented a beautiful awesome atmosphere and environment, for which the High Commissioner of Germany who came to Shaheed Bhutto's shrine three years ago said that Shaheed Bhutto built the city in the middle of gardens which depicts a very beautiful and attractive scene but now the residents of this city are feeding themselves and their children by cutting gardens and making colonies due to lack of irrigation water.

He said Saidu Minor has been converted into a vast sewage drain which is disastrous because subsoil water will soon become arsenic and hazardous for the residents due to its underground penetration. He regretted to say that the farmers of Khairpur and Ghotki often complain about water shortage but I wish they would come here and see how the farmers of Naundero are thanking God even though there is a lack of water.