Large protests held in Thatta, Mirpurkhas against shortage, theft of water.

THATTA -- Scores of growers, labourers, activists of different nationalist parties and members of general public staged a sit-in on Thatta-Hyderabad section of the National Highway at Chatto Chand town on Thursday in protest against persistent shortage of water, negligence of irrigation department officials and unfair distribution of water.

The protest led to suspension of traffic on both sides of the highway for hours, causing great inconvenience to picnickers who were returning from recreational spots on the third day of Eid.

Leaders of grower's associations, including Haji Hassan Jakhro, Hanif Soomro, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party leader Syed Jalal Shah and others slammed the provincial government over its failure to resolve the longstanding issue of water scarcity.

They said that a huge population of the district had been braving acute shortage of water for the past two months but neither the government officials nor the elected representatives were ready to pay heed to the problem.

They said that main channels of the district, including Saamki, Halaat, Jam Wah, Thatta Channel, Gharo Massan, Bayo Purandas, Khatiyaan left-right, Sadabahar Naali, and Jam Branch were running dry, dealing a serious blow to agriculture, livestock and fishing sectors.

'We are not ready to believe this shortage is natural because it is direct result of unfair distribution of water by the officials concerned of the department,' they said, adding the situation had become alarming and the district was heading towards a drought-like conditions.

Later, special assistant to chief minister MPA Syed Riaz Hussain Shah Sheerazi met the protesters and persuaded them to the end the sit-in. He said that he would take up the issue with the chief minister.

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