Sir: Rice growers in the districts of upper Sindh are extremely perturbed that while the season of rice cultivation has started, water is still not released in Rice Canal, Dadu Canal and other canals that irrigate Sindh and Balochistan. Rice is a crop that requires irrigation. In the past, those who regulated and distributed water used to supply water to rice growers in Sindh’s ‘rice belt’ well in time. Indeed, gone are the days when water controllers and managers used to be experts, as well as sympathetic to farmers’ needs. My home province used to have an enviable canal system to regulate the flow of water, but now the system is in decline. Whatever funds have been allocated in the recent past are not judiciously utilised. Since rice is a key commodity and important to the survival of millions of people in this country, especially people of the districts of upper Sindh, the government should direct those who control water distribution to release the required water in the Rice Canal and other canals in upper and lower Sindh. HASIM ABRO Islamabad