Cultivation of rice crops on left bank of river Indus banned.

KARACHI -- Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Water Syed Khursheed Shah, along with provincial ministers, Tuesday discussed waterlogging and increasing water table issues along the left bank of the River Indus in the post-flood scenario and decided to impose a ban on rice cultivation, otherwise lands would be devastated. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Manzoor Wassan, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Syed Nasir Shah, Jam Ikram, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Secretary Irrigation Sohail Qureshi, Secretary Agriculture Aijaz Mahesar, Commissioner Sukkur Mustafa Phul, Commissioner Mirpurkhas Shafiq Mahesar and deputy commissioners of different districts through video link.

The meeting observed that the issue of water logging has remained persistent for a long. This situation has been further aggravated by the recent floods which have increased the water table further. The participants of the meeting observed that the growers of perennial canals such as the Ghotki Feeder, Rohri Canal, Nara Canal, and Khairpur West and East feeders were cultivating rice despite a complete ban.

The chief minister, keeping in view the gravity of the...