Acute water shortage in Sindh!

Noor Khan Bakhrani Tangwani
Its way of nature that where water exists life also exists there. In other words water is life and without water no Living organism can survive on the planet of earth. Sindh is an agricultural zone of Pakistan. The main source of income and livelihood of the people is associated with agriculture due to river Indus. God has bestowed Sindh with many natural resources and the land of Sindh is also very fertile. Twelve months of the year plenty of water from river Indus flows to the canals of Sindh originating from the Guddu Barrage, Sukkur Barrage and Kotri downstream to irrigate millions of acres of agricultural land. It is pertinent to mention here that in recent years due to global warming and climate changes there are less rains in the region and water level of rivers goes down which causes water crisis. The stoppage of water by construction of new dams on Indus river also made the water situation alarming. The Punjab big province of the country has always been taking the lions share of water instead of its due share which results of plethora of water shortage in the canals of Sindh province. As per social media reports these days Sindh province is facing 59 percent water shortage which is a major threat to agriculture of Sindh. The early Kharif season crops of cotton, paddy, sugarcane and fodder for cattle seemed to be delay which may cause millions of rupees to growers of Sindh province. The shortage of potable drinking water is also getting threatening because in hot summer season water level further goes down and canals are dry and water is even unavailable for irrigation of crops as well as for drinking. In some parts of the province the water hand pumps, wells and tube wells have dried up and humans as well as animals are facing great troubles and hardships. If such situation continues further, then it will turn to a disastrous end and human population will be compelled and forced to shift to other places in the quest of drinking water, standing crops and orchards will be destroyed. Earlier this week the Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah advised growers not to cultivate rice due to prevailing water shortage in the Indus river. While expressing his concerns over water distribution the Chief Minister said that the water is not being distributed judiciously which has caused shortage in the country. He went on to say that currently the shortage of water in Sindh province exceeded 40 percent. Murad further said that he contacted with federal government over the water crisis in Sindh and also apprised Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah the federal minister of water resources and discussed the issue of water scarcity with him in detail. Last many days the people of Sindh are expressing their anger, hatred and displeasure with incumbent ruling party, raising voice and protesting against acute water shortage in Sindh through social media, Twitter, Facebook, electronic and print media. This is the high time that newly coalition federal government immediately must take notice of water shortage in Sindh province and provide Sindh’s due share of water for timely cultivation of Kharif crops, fruit orchards and drinking purposes before the situation may get intensifies and goes from bad to worse.