HYDERABAD: The Sindh Progressive Committee (SPC) has decided to hold a protest on April 23 against water shortage and contamination of Indus River’s water.

The decision was taken at an SPC meeting held here on Tuesday in the office of the Awami Workers Party (AWP) under the chairmanship of comrade Bakhshal Thalho, the committee’s convener.

The meeting was attended by Jeay Sindh Mahaz (J) chairman Abdul Khaliq Junejo and general secretary Hashim Khoso; Communist Party of Pakistan secretary general comrade Imdad Qazi and provincial secretary comrade Iqbal Khan, and Awami Workers Party senior vice president comrade Latif Laghari.

The meeting also discussed political situation in the country and the impact of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) over political and national rights of local people.

It expressed concern over severe water shortage in Sindh and a recently published report about contamination of freshwater resources according to which 87 per cent of water in Sindh is either brackish or unfit for human consumption.

The meeting noted that according to the report, River Indus has become a main source of disposal of effluent right from Mansehra to Hyderabad and the river’s water was not fit for drinking.

It said this single reason was sufficient to cause disease amongst the people of Sindh.

The meeting stated that due to wrong policies of the rulers, water had been completely depleted in Mangla and Tarbela reservoirs and non-release of irrigation flows downstream Kotri had destroyed the Indus delta.

Sowing of cotton in lower Sindh had started and water shortage was badly affecting the process, it said.

Rice sowing in upper Sindh was also to be affected due to non-availability of water and its sowing would be affected even in May and June, which was otherwise ideal time for its sowing in that part of Sindh, it added.

The meeting asserted that water shortage and contamination of water resources was largely due to defective policies of the rulers and was not natural.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2017