DADU: A major operation was launched in Dadu district on Saturday to check theft of irrigation water by influential landowners and to ensure equitable and adequate supply to all lands up to the tail-end of Dadu Canal.

Scores of landowners were booked for stealing water after irrigation officials, escorted by Rangers personnel, found and seized water-lifting machines, direct outlets (DOs), illegally fixed pipes and other objects along the course of the Johi and Daim branches during the operation.

In the areas fed by the Johibranch, three water channels Pahore, Cheejani and Patoro were sealed and as many as 40 DOs dismantled, irrigation superintendent engineer at Dadu Sajid Ali Bhutto said while speaking to the media.

He accompanied Johl division executive engineer Abdul Rasheed Panhwar and Rangers deputy superintendent Farooq Ahmed and the area police during the operation. Ashfaq Ahmed Memon, Special Assistant to the CM on Irrigation, is monitoring the operation.

Nineteen influential landowners were booked during the operation along the banks of the Daim branch infested with gadgets like illegal pipes, water-lifting machines and flow-diversion structures.Irrigation ofHeials and Rangers personnel seized 40 water-lifting machines as well as the gadgets fixed to illegally divert flows from its original course.

They found such gadgets fixed and direct outlets raised at 24 pointsalong the branch.

The FIRs against owners of the benefiting lands were registered at Khudabad and Bhan Syedabad police stations.

Daim branch is located at the tail-end of Dadu Canal and feeds lands across Sehwan taluka of Jamshoro district covering the entire constituency of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

Small farmers had been holding protests in Bhan Syedabad and Sehwan, as well as outside the CM`s residence in Wahur village, against rampant theft of water from the branch over the past few months. They have also been complaining of mismanagement on the part of irrigation of ficials leading to the water scarcity aggravating further.

Irrigation Engineer at Sehwan Mahish Kumar told Dawn that notices had been issued to all landowners to undo tampering of watercourses in their respective areas or face the consequences.

He said that 347 cusec wasreleased into Daim branch and full flow had already reached its tail-end.

Mr Bhutto said that process of lodging FIRs against 12 influential landowners at the Johl police station was under way.

It is pertinent to mention here that this operation was ordered by Governor Imran Ismail and CM Syed Murad Ali Shah after a sustained protest campaign launched by small farmers and their families belonging to various areas of Johi taluka, especially tail-end areas, against unavailability of irrigation and drinking water for several months. The protests were held in different parts of Dadu district, Hyderabad and Karachi over the past few weeks.

Engineer Abdul Rashid Panhwar posted at Johi told Dawn that the operation would cover the area between 95-Mile (head of Johi branch) to 47-Mile (end of Johi branch) in the Erst phase.