1. Short title and commencement –

1)  This Ordinance may be called the Sindh Water Management Ordinance 2002.

2)   It shall come into force at once.

2. Definitions –

In this Ordinance, unless there is any thing repugnant in the subject or context -

   a) ‘abiana' means service charge levied on farmers by a FO or, where there is no FO, by an AWB or by the SIDA for the supply of surface irrigation water and the provision of drainage;

b) ‘AWB' means an Area Water Board, established under this Ordinance;

c) ‘CAC' means any community advisory committee established under this Ordinance

d) ‘canal' means a man-made waterway or artificially improved river used for irrigation and other water supply;

e) ‘Council' means a Council as defined in the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001;

f) ‘DBG' means a Drainage Beneficiary Group established under this Ordinance;

g) ‘district' means a district as defined in the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001;

h) ‘drain' means a public natural drain, surface or sub-surface drainage network provided for the evacuation of the surplus-sub soil, saline aquifer, surface and sewage water from agricultural land, built-up land, waste land and wetland;

i) ‘FO' means a Farmers' Organisation established under this Ordinance;

j) ‘Government' means the Government of Sindh;

k) 'Managing Director' means the Managing Director of the SIDA

l) ‘regulations and rules' means regulations and rules made under this Ordinance;

m) ‘Regulatory Authority' means the Regulatory Authority of Irrigation, Drainage and Flood Protection established under this Ordinance;

n) ‘SIDA' means the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority established under this Ordinance;

o) ‘ small farmer' means an owner of or registered leaseholder of less than sixteen acres;

p) ‘tail end' means that part of the main canal of an AWB or of the distributary or minor in case of an FO which is located at a distance more than seventy percent of the total canal, distributary or minor length from the inlet of the AWB or FO concerned;

q) ‘Tribunal' means a Tribunal constituted under this Ordinance;

r) ‘water' includes any water standing or flowing on surface or found in the soil at any place in the Province;

s) ‘WAC' means a Water Allocation Committee established under this Ordinance;

t) ‘watercourse' means a man made waterway used for the direct supply of water to the agricultural fields, it generally off takes from a minor or distributary but may take off directly from a main or branch canal;

u) ‘WCA' means a Water Course Association established under this Ordinance;

v) ‘Water users' means a person who enjoys facility of irrigation water from a water course, or canal, for the agricultural land owned or possessed by him, and, in case more than one person jointly own or possess the land, anyone of them authorised by the others to act on their behalf;

w) ‘Zila' means zila as defined in the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001