Rangers deployed at various canals to check water theft

Six mobile units of Shahbaz Rangers were on Saturday dispatched to Khairpur Feeder Canal, Mirwah Canal, Sindh Wah and B. S. Feeder Canal commandment area for deployment there for round-the-clock checking of water thefts and other illegal activities at water courses and canal heads by unscrupulous elements.
Briefing the newsmen here spokesman of Shahbaz Rangers, Major Adnan said the rangers force was being steadily deployed in almost all areas of Sukkur and Guddu Barrages, for which a formal request was made to them by Sindh government.
He said, detailed meetings were held on Friday and Saturday with the Chief Engineer Sukkur Barrage Noor Muhammad Shah and his SE Javed Ahmed Taibani for identifying the vulnerable areas of Sukkur and Guddu Barrages and for plugging all the loopholes which could benefit the culprits engaged in water theft or its illegal trade.
He stated that some people had been booked for stealing water in Khairpur and Jacobabad districts and they had been handed over to police for consequent legal action.
The spokesman said the deployment of rangers would largely benefit the farming community, especially those in the tail end areas, because they were the worst sufferers due to water shortage.
He further said in most of the areas the farming community had spontaneously welcomed the deployment of rangers and had offered to co-operate with them in pinpointing the unwanted elements.
The spokesman said a long-term strategy had been drawn out in the meeting with the officials of irrigation department of Sukkur and Guddu Barrages, held in Shahbaz Rangers' Headquarters under the chairmanship of Commandant Colonel Shahid Majeed. He was confident that irrigation water supply system would return to normalcy after the deployment of rangers in quite a vast area.
He further said that irrigation department staff including SDOs and Beldars accompanied rangers' force to acquaint with the local requirements and for identifying the areas, which have to be given top priority. Chief Engineer Sukkur Barrage, Syed Noor Muhammad Shah meanwhile acknowledged the help of rangers in sustaining a judicious water supply system in his commandment area.
He said water shortage was natural and his area was experiencing water shortage of 15 to 20 percent, as such rotation system was reintroduced for a rationalised supply to the farming community.
He was also confident that water thefts would gradually cease with the induction of rangers on most of the canals and distributaries, which would benefit the farming community from top to bottom.