KARACHI-Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Mu­rad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Water Syed Khursheed Shah along with provincial ministers discussed waterlogging and increasing wa­ter table issues along the left bank of the River Indus in the post-flood scenario and decided to impose a ban on rice cultivation.

The meeting was attended by pro­vincial ministers, Manzoor Wassan, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Syed Nasir Shah, Jam Ikram, Chief Secretary So­hail Rajput, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Secretary Irrigation Sohail Qureshi, Secretary Agriculture Ai­jaz Mahesar, Commissioner Sukkur Mustafa Phul, Commissioner Mir­purkhas Shafiq Mahesar and deputy commissioners of different districts through video link.

The meeting observed that the is­sue of water logging has remained persistent for a long. This situation has been further aggravated by the recent floods which have increased the water table further. The partici­pants of the meeting observed that the growers of perennial canals such as the Ghotki Feeder, Rohri Canal, Nara Canal, and Khairpur West & East feeders were cultivating rice despite a complete ban.

The CM keeping in view the grav­ity of the situation decided to im­pose a ban on the cultivation of rice crops in the districts of Ghotki, Suk­kur, Khairpur, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehro Feroz, Matiari, Hyder­abad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mu­hammad Khan (Partially), and Badin (Partially). Shah directed the rel­evant Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to depute their Assistant Commis­sioners (ACs), mukhtiarkars, and tapers to advise the grower to opt for other Kharif crops in place of the Rice Crop which has been banned for cultivation.

The CM directed the Senior Mem­ber Board of Revenue to issue a no­tification under the West Pakistan Rice (Restrictions On Cultivation) Or­dinance, 1959, imposing a complete ban on Rice Cultivation for the year 2023 on perennial Canals - Ghotki Feeder, Rohri Canal, Nara Canal, and Khairpur West & East feeders. Mean­while, Shah directed the Irrigation department to release water in time so that growers of the left bank of the river Indus could grow other crops.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said that Ethiopian Airlines had resumed its Karachi operation after a lapse of four decades which opened new vis­tas of trade and commerce, invest­ment, and tourism between Pakistan and African countries. This he said while talking to media persons just after receiving the inaugural flight of Ethiopian Air which landed at Old Terminal with 110 passengers, in­cluding three Ethiopian state minis­ters. He was accompanied by Provin­cial Ministers, Sharjeel Memon, Jam Ikram, Syed Nasir Shah, and Advisor Murtaza Wahab.