BADIN: A large number of farmers, their supporters and families, including women, staged a sit-in on Badin-Karachi highway in Tarai town, about 17 kilometres from here on Friday to register protest against persisting water crisis in Badin district for past many months.

The protesters ended their protest after director of Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur and some officials concerned met them and assured that their areas in the tail-end of Imam Wah Jagir canal would be provided water within 12 hours.

Traffic flow on the busy highway remained badly affected for over one hour due to the demonstration.

Meanwhile, farmers staged aprotest againstthe nagging water crisis in Shaheed Fazil Rahu taluka during a public gathering being addressed by Badin deputy commissioner Dr Hafeez Siyal in Golarchi town.

The protesters asked the officer to keep his word and provide water to all the riceproducing areas of the district. Sida and irrigation officials were nowhere to be seen to regulate gauges of water channels, they complained.

The DC assured the protesters that the departments concerned were making sincere efforts to provide water to every farmer of the district.

The farmers in Kadhan, Badin, Talhar and other towns of the district also took out rallies and staged demonstrations to register protest against unjust distribution of water in their areas and press the functionaries to provide them their due share in water.

Khalil Ahmed Bhurgari, Mir Noor Ahmed Talpur, Azizullah Dero, Khuda Dino Shah and other leaders of Save Badin Action Committee told local journalists said that thousands of farmers would gather in Talhar town today (Saturday) to protest against water crisis and urge the Sindh government to remove blockages from canals and Sida director, who was creating hindrances to supplying water to the tail-end areas of the district.