HYDERABAD - The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has expressed the fear of irrigation water shortage in the province during sowing of the winter crops because of acute water shortage in Tarbela Dam.
A meeting of the SCA, chaired by its President Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar, who also heads the National Institute of Cardio Vascular Diseases (NICVD) Karachi, was held here on Sunday, in which it was pointed out that only one foot per day water was being stored in Tarbela daily.
"The dam should be filled with 3 feet water per day for the storage, but only 1 foot water is being stored," said Dr Qamar.
The meeting expressed deep concern that Tarbela Dam's mechanized warning system which identifies structural weakness, seepage and other water loss had remained defunct for many years.
Participants of the meeting also criticised the operating authority-Water and Power Development Authority- for allegedly failing to resolve those problems which had been identified time and again over last few years.
Meanwhile, the SCA's office-bearers and members praised the federal government for allowing the export of three tonnes of sugar.
However, the farmers' representatives disapproved of the threat given by the sugar mills owners to the government that they would shut down the mills, if the government did not provide them Rs15 per kilogram subsidy on sugar export.
"The farmers have no objection whether the government gives the subsidy or not to the mill owners. But we will oppose the threat and action of shutting down the sugar mills," SCA's president said.
The meeting also requested the Sindh government to carry out immediate desilting of saline water channels in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions to prevent loss to the crops during monsoon rains.
Senior Vice President of SCA Aijaz Nabi Shah, General Secretary Nabi Bux Sathio, Zahid Hussain Bhurgari, Muhammad Khan Sarejo and other office bearers and members attended the meeting.
The farmers' representatives from Karachi, Sukkur, Sanghar and Ghotki attended the meeting through the video link.