HYDERABAD: The Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) has questioned Punjab irrigation department’s argument over water shortages and storages in Mangla dam, saying that Sindh had been hit in Kharif sowing due to shortages in rivers.

The board raised the question at its meeting held on Sunday presided over by Mehmood Nawaz Shah. Some growers joined the meeting online also.

Present at the meeting were Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani, Imran Bozdar, Aslam Mari, Arbab Ahsan, Taha Memon and others.

The meeting discussed Mangla Dam, Pakistan’s big national reservoir, in detail and expressed dismay on the Punjab irrigation department’s claim that “water should have been allowed to be stored in Mangla Dam and shortages should have been transferred to province”.

The SAB found Punjab’s viewpoint difficult to understand. It said current water requirement for Kharif season was more than storing water in dams for future usages. That happened when inflows in Indus reduced and water requirement as per water accord was not available and only way to reduce shortages was to supplement it from Mangla till point inflows improved, it said.

It said that even when water was being supplied from Mangla, but the supply was still inadequate and shortages went beyond 15pc. Even today water was being stored in Mangla (43,000 cusecs inflow & 30,000 cusecs outflow) and Sindh was facing shortages.

The participants found it strange that when inflows in river chenab have increased, water from Indus is being drawn through Chasma-Jhelum (CJ) link canal and Taunsa-Punjnad (TP) link canal when the when the command area of CJ and TP could easily be given water from river Chenab. It was being done only to aggravate situation in Sindh, it alleged.

It said that certain geographic facts needed to be kept in perspective, which were completely ignored while working on water distribution.

First, it said, water inflows increased in the rivers of Punjab and being upper riparian, it got water 15 days before Sindh. Second, underground water availability in Punjab was of 45MAF and Sindh 5MAF. Third, sowing in Sindh was 15 to 25 days ahead of Punjab, it added.

The SAB reminded Punjab that when wheat was being harvested there in April-May, Kharif sowing began in Sindh that otherwise should have been in full swing, but it was affected as flows were inadequate in rivers.

It urged the Punjab irrigation department to first understand that dams were national resource and the entire Pakistan had right over it. Secondly, dams were not meant to block water for future usage and ignore current demand.

The meeting noted that monsoon had reached, which required proper cleaning of drainage infrastructure to avoid flooding. It was seen in the past due to lack of optimum operation of drainage system losses from rain exacerbated.

It said last year’s rain was a stark reminder when drainage system caused problem, hitting seven districts. It said that not only Kharif crops were destroyed, but also in some areas even winter cultivation was not done. Calling for cleaning drainages of Badin and Mirpurkhas, it said they should be maintained to avoid colossal losses to the rural economy.

The meeting observed that Pakistan was likely to spend $ 2.2 billion (Rs344 billion) on duty free (all duties waived) import of cotton. Domestic production, which is already constrained, is further being burdened by imposing GST of 17pc on cotton seed in the current budget.

This year rates of cotton were better than previous years, but benefit was being reduced by imposing tax. Cotton production had dropped from 14.8m bales to 7.5m bales. This crop needed attention. While there was no measure taken to support cotton growers, further burden was imposed, it complained.

The SAB remarked that it was important to understand when tax was levied, processor would cut price when buying and ultimately growers would pay tax.

Therefore, the SAB demanded, tax on domestic production of cotton and cotton seed should be withdrawn. It would encourage domestic production and country would save billions in foreign exchange, it added.

The SAB observed that millers tended to deduct money on the pretext of moisture content in paddy crop. It was an international practice to have certain level of allowable moisture, but it was not notified in Sindh or known. It urged the Sindh government to involve stakeholders and notify allowable moisture to be exempted from deduction.

It said that in order to implement that the millers should have calibrated and authentic moisture meters to do deductions if moisture was above a certain level. It would encourage transparent business practice in industry and would add­ress complaints of arbitrary deductions, it said.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2021