KARACHI: The Sindh government has termed the water shortage water under the water agreement as a threat to the agricultural economy of Sindh and said that the water shortage in Sindh has reached 53% which is increasing day by day.

Agriculture Advisor Manzoor Wassan said in a statement on Friday that if the water crisis situation in Sindh persisted, the crops could be severely damaged. He said that due to water scarcity, there was a danger of damage to crops of sugarcane, mango, rice, chilli, olive and palm orchards in Sindh. Water has started running out. Since ex-government of PTI, Sindh province has received less than due share acre-feet of agricultural water, he noted.

Wassan said that in the last three and a half years (PTI government), Sindh received 16% water in Kharif while in Rabi season, 22% less than due share owing to which water shortages rose and affected the production of key crop vegetables and orchards. Wassan said that due to water shortage in Sindh under Imran government, wheat, rice and cotton crops were reduced last year, which had resulted in loss of billions of rupees to the farmers of Sindh.

He stated: “Imran government looted farmers badly. If Sindh had got its due share of water in the Imran government, then fertile lands of Sindh would not have been affected and crop production would not have been reduced. Sindh province should be given its due share of water, curtailing of share will not be acceptable at any cost.”