ISLAMABAD: Amid controversy over water shares among Sindh and Punjab provinces, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Wednesday approved three development projects worth Rs270 billion including the second phase of the Greater Thal Canal.

The meeting of Ecnec presided over by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin also approved Rs201.5bn Karachi Circular Railway with private sector participation and a Rs30bn worth of poverty reduction project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting also approved a 75 per cent increase in the pay packages of staff directly recruited under development projects on the Project Pay Scale (PPS).

It also decided to make appropriate allocation of total budget outlay in PSDP projects for running an effective media campaign to create awareness about the Federal Government’s policies, projects and initiatives aimed at socio-economic development and welfare of the people.

The meeting was attended by Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, Minister for Irrigation Department Punjab Mohsin Leghari, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission and senior officers of federal and provincial governments.

‘Controversial’ Greater Thal Canal given go-ahead

The meeting approved the development of the Greater Thal Canal Project (Phase-II). The Ministry of Planning reported that it had finalised about half a dozen recommendations after holding meetings with representatives of the governments of Sindh and Punjab. The project was approved in principle by Ecnec on Dec 22, 2021 at a cost of Rs38.372bn.

Ecnec was informed that if water is allocated to provinces according to the principle set out in Para-2 of the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord (WAA), all projects mentioned in the WAA could be implemented. Since Para-2 of the accord is not being implemented, due to shortage of water, Sindh asserts, the construction of the Greater Thal Canal (GTC) could potentially exacerbate water shortages in Sindh.

The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had again, through majority vote, certified water availability for GTC in 2021. “Sufficient data, made available by Irsa, suggests that enough water is available within the system, which needs to be harnessed by provinces within their shareholding”, argued the planning ministry.

Given the importance of water projects, Ecnec approved the structure for implementation of GTC along with a simultaneous institution of credible monitoring mechanism to ensure that Punjab remains within its allocated share.

Secondly, pending the installation of telemetry system, the Ministry of Water Resources, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology and its line agency, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), will monitor the flows in the Chashma-Taunsa-Guddu (including Panjnad) reach of the Indus River forthwith. This would be done by deploying field teams that could include the third party until such time that the telemetry instrumentation is in place, fully commissioned and tested. Irsa would bear the cost of this monitoring mechanism.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2022