Over 100,000 acres of land in the Nara Canal area are being illegally cultivated with rice, causing severe water shortages for farmers in the lower regions. This violation of the cultivation ban has affected eight out of the canal’s 17 subdivisions, leading the affected farmers to start protesting.
In Khadro and Hakro subdivisions, 25,000 acres are illegally planted with rice, while in Sanghar, 20,000 acres, in Khipro, 15,000 acres, and more than 10,000 acres in sub-divisions one and two of Mirpur Khas are under rice cultivation. Unauthorized rice cultivation has also been reported on 2,500 acres in the Sindhri subdivision. Although farmers are required to cultivate only 28% of their land during the Kharif season, influential landlords have allegedly cultivated hundreds of acres of rice in collusion with corrupt irrigation officials.
Rice requires much more irrigation compared to other crops, leaving other plants and fields in the lower regions without the necessary water. It has been reported that the director of Nara Canal has informed the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner about water theft and illegal cultivation, but no concrete actions have been taken yet. Sources also claim that data on illegal cultivation is being concealed, and Nara Canal officials are accepting bribes to manipulate water distribution, severely harming small farmers.