HYDERABAD: Sindh Abadgar Ittehad (SAI) president Nawab Zubair Talpur has urged Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah and chairman of the National Assembly’s standing committee on water resources to ensure release of Sindh’s share on a priority basis and get flood canals (link canals) closed in accordance with the 1991 Water Accord.

Mr Talpur sought their assistance through a letter he wrote to them on Monday and also copied it to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) chairman and Sindh irrigation secretary.

He said that the overall shortage of water in the barrages of Sindh stood at 53pc. Kotri barrage remained the worst-affected as it was receiving 5,250 cusecs and the shortage percentage was 75pc, he added, warning that the situation was very alarming.

He said it was not out of place to mention here that Kotri downstream up to the sea was around 150km and underground water remained brackish there which was not fit for human consumption. He maintained that human and livestock population needed freshwater in that area, and added that Kotri barrage downstream needed 5,000 cusecs, but only 100 cusecs flow was released.

On the other hand, he said, Irsa issued warning that the situation could worsen in the coming days. He said water resources like Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals were drawing around 21,000 cusecs from Indus river system

daily for about a month. He said the internationally recognised law on lower riparian’s rights was being violated.

He said that Wapda apportioned water for Sindh which was delivered at Taunsa Barrage and 28pc losses up to Guddu were anticipated by Irsa, but in fact actual losses were more than that. He urged the federal minister and NA standing committee chairman to intervene and get floods canals closed in accordance with the 1991 Water Accord.

He said Irsa should be directed to release water share of Sindh’s barrages on priority. He called for releasing extra water through flood canals from Indus river system to compensate Sindh from the storages of Mangla Dam.

Published in Dawn,May 24th, 2022