SIDA's 3-day Training Programme For Farmers Concludes

Managing Director of Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) Wali Muhammad Naich said the purpose of establishing SIDA was to promote participatory irrigation and expand farmers' role in irrigation system

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2019 ) :Managing Director of Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) Wali Muhammad Naich said the purpose of establishing SIDA was to promote participatory irrigation and expand farmers' role in irrigation system.

"The purpose was to ensure that the farmers and the irrigation staff together managed the irrigation system," he said while speaking at the closing ceremony of a 3-day training program of the Farmers Organizations (FOs) at SIDA's head office here Friday.

He said the provincial government by creating SIDA, Area Water Boards and FOs had given representation to the farmers in the irrigation system for effective management of the water resource.

The MD said the FOs should ensure timely collection of water tax called abyana, look after the water courses and carry out just distribution of irrigation water.

Project Director Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project (WSIP) Jamal Manghan underlined the need of further optimizing the performance of the FOs.

He told that the restoration works at the Nara, Ghotki Feeder, Phuleli and Mithrau canals had increase the water discharge capacity of those canals, adding that the water was being supplied to the tail-end areas.

General Manager Transition Farzana Abbassi said SIDA's social welfare arm provided training to the representatives of FOs after every election of those organizations.

They were trained in organizing the FOs, collection of water tax and maintaining the watercourses, she added.

The representatives of the FOs including Manzoor Hussain Dahar, Ghulam Shabbir and others also expressed their views.