HYDERABAD/LAR-KANA/NAWABSHAH/MIRPURKHAS: Rallies, demonstrations, sit-ins and a protest march were held in various parts of Sindh on Sunday in the continuing agitation against Centre’s plan to dig six canals from the Indus River and moves to amend the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) Act.

Activists of the Sindh United Party (SUP) held a 30km-long march on foot from Mohenjo Daro to the Larkana Press Club. It took them eight hours to cover the distance.

Speaking to the marchers and a crowd of people who warmly welcomed them to the city, SUP Larkana president Sadaruddin Bhatti Manzoor Shaikh, Ahmed Ali Tunio and others said they held the march and visited various towns and villages on the way in order to create awareness of the disaster bound to unleash on Sindh as a result of the amendment and execution of the canals project.

“We are making the masses to realise the drastic impact of the construction of six new canals and making certain amendments to the Irsa Act,” said Mr Sheikh.

The SUP activists said that the plans would not only cast an adverse impact on Sindh’s economy, but also devastate its fertile lands and agriculture sector.

They crticised Pakistan Peoples Party for its double-faced policies, observing that on the one hand, President Asif Ali Zardari gave go ahead to the federal government’s plans on July 8 and, on the other, its leaders were opposing them.

Since day one, the SUP had been expressing its strong reservations over the project and condemning the PPP’s policies that would definitely ruin Sindh’s fertile lands, which were already suffering an acute shortage of irrigation water, they said.

Releasing only a small amount downstream Kotri Barrage was causing sea erosion, which was eating away Sindh’s rich lands, they said. “By giving a go ahead to the federal plans, the PPP had has deceived the people of Sindh,” they said.

They reiterated SUP’s demand to do away with the plans and ensure provision of Sindh’s just share in the Indus water.

In Hyderabad, Qaumi Awami Tehreek president Ayaz Latif Palijo addressed a public meeting of his party held in Mir Ghulam Ali Park, Tando Mohammad Khan, on Sunday to condemn the federal projects.

Palijo said that a consistent struggle was required to protect the Indus River and that every single individual would have to be mobilised for the cause.

He said people of Sindh would not allow digging of the six canals. He warned the federal government against rendering Sindh barren in the name of agricultural development in the country.

The QAT chief said that usurpation of Sindh’s islands, resources, land and water would not be accepted. He wondered that despite having 400km-long coastal strip, Sindh was facing unemployment. He said that the proposed Cholistan canal system would stop water flows meant for Sindh province.

He said that Irsa, Wapda, DWP and CCI had always been biased towards Sindh, and criticised the CDWP for allowing canals project despite Sindh’s objections. He regretted that representation of Sindh in the Planning Commission, CCI, Wapda and Nepra was negligible.

Palijo believed that the parliament and CCI remained least bothered about Sindh’s concerns, and said that regular operation of the Taunsa-Panjnad and Chashma-Jhelum link canals was unconstitutional. He said that Sindh was not getting its share of water despite the fact that the Water Accord 1991 had been in place for 30 years now. He said that deltaic region of Sujawal, Badin and Thatta were facing degradation. He alleged that [PPP co-chairman] Asif Ali Zardari “had bought powers in lieu of Sindh’s resources”.

He said if these new canals were built, then people of Sindh would experience famine-like conditions. He said that subsoil sea intrusion had reached up to Hyderabad as river flows were not reaching sea. He said that due to drinking of poisonous water people were suffering from diseases like hepatitis.Sindhiani Tehreek president Zeenat Samoo also spoke.

JSQM sit-ins

Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz Chairman Sunnan Qureshi addressed his party’s largely attended sit-in at Sakrand Shaheed Benaz-irabad interchange Sak-rand on Sunday to condemn the six-canals project.

JSQM activists had held a similar sit-in on the Naushahro Feroze bypass.

Qureshi said that Indus water was a matter of life and death for each and every inhabitant of Sindh.

He said Sindh would never allow any new canal from or dam over Indus.

He announced another protest on Dec 15 in Matiari.

Rallies in Mirpurkhas

Two separate rallies were taken out in the city on Sunday from Station Chowk to Gulistan-i-Baldia lawn under the aegis of the STP, SUP and some other nationalist organisations.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2024