The Pai Forest is facing a drought-like situation due to acute shortage of water and its wildlife is in danger due to vanishing flora and fauna and excessive hunting in the area.

The WWF Programme Coordinator, Nasir Panhwar, has said this while briefing a team of journalists from different parts of Sindh at the Pai Forest lodge, some 10km away from the National Highway near Sakrand.

More than 100 growers of Imam minor, Sobhodero taluka staged a sit-in on Sobhodero-Saghiyoon Road on Saturday in protest against irrigation water shortage since last four months. They also burnt tyres and raised slogans against the authorities.

Later, they reached the press club and observed hunger strike.

Arab Mangnejo, Khadim and others told reporters that their crops, including cotton and sugarcane were being damaged due to water shortage.

They also informed of having met irrigation officials several times but their problems remain where these were.

Residents of the city's West Dhanmondi area have been suffering from acute water crisis for long as the authorities concerned remain indifferent to the solution of the problem.

The water-starved Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, whose Unesco status of world heritage site is under threat due to persistent water crisis, can finally soak some hope. The Supreme Court-constituted central empowered committee (CEC) has sanctioned Rs 65 crores to this sanctuary for water harvesting projects and maintaining its aquatic ecology.

Defective tube wells are causing water shortage in most parts of the city with the downtown being affected the worst. Apart from faulty tube wells, massive load shedding is a major cause for water shortage.

Tube well operators are often found absenting themselves from duty as they take it as a part-time job.

"At the time of power outage, tube well operators leave their offices and they come back after a delay. As a result, tube wells remain closed and no one could get water,' Abdul Waheed, a retired college teacher, told Daily Times.

Wapda has stopped further filling of Tarbela and Mangala dams and is discharging 0.271 million cusecs water from various rim stations to meet water demands of the provinces for Kharif crops. Wapda sources told Business Recorder here on Monday that water inflows in rivers Indus, Kabul, Jhelum and Chanab have decreased during the last week of July.