ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to call the first meeting of the National Water Council led by Prime Minister Imran Khan in the last week of this month to set water sector targets for the country and resolve inter-provincial disputes.

The country’s first-ever National Water Policy approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in April this year required the creation of a National Water Council to address the country’s water issues, including development of reservoirs.

Headed by the prime minister, the council also includes the four chief ministers and the federal ministers for water resources, finance, power and planning and development. The group will also include five private sector water experts. The prime minister of Azad Kashmir and the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan are required to attend the council meetings as well.

Matters relating to implementation of water policy will be discussed in council’s first meeting later this month

Informed sources said that a host of water sector issues and future challenges will be discussed, including the allocation of 1,200 cusec water for Karachi.

The sources added that when Sindh’s case for the 1,200 cusec water supply to Karachi came up before the CCI meeting, most of the members of the CCI — particularly the representatives of the other three provinces — opposed the proposal.

Reportedly, the chief minister told the CCI that Sindh had agreed to share the federal capital’s water needs in the past under the agreement that Karachi’s requirements would also be met jointly by other provinces.

This was challenged by a representative of the Punjab government who said there was nothing on record to support that claim. On the contrary, Punjab said its request for 200 cusec water supply to Rawalpindi was rejected by Sindh and other provinces and Punjab had to reallocate water — out of its own share accord — to Rawalpindi. It was also reported that it had been decided that all provinces should meet water needs of their cities out of their respective water shares and argued that if water needs of Karachi are to be met by all the provinces, then the requirement of all other cities across the country should also be dealt with similarly.

It was argued that Sindh should have foreseen the future needs of Karachi and, therefore, agreed to give some of its share to Rawalpindi, when it required water, but the Sindh leadership at the time failed to do so. It was also explained by a participant that it appeared that the move to seek water shares for Karachi from other provinces would open a Pandora’s box of similar claims.

Both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also opposed the suggestion of giving out of their share to Karachi. Instead, it was explained that the water accord of 1991 had taken care of Karachi’s needs and that is how Sindh’s share was apportioned in the first place.

With all these discussions having taken place, Minister for Provincial Coordination Dr Fehmida Mirza proposed that the matter be referred to the National Water Council.

The source said the meeting will also discuss matters relating to the implementation of the national water policy since its approval, and consider developing a strategy to address water sector issues and challenges as well as debate inter-provincial disputes over water.

The council will also set targets for implementing the national water policy, besides considering a complaint by Balochistan against Sindh for not releasing its due water share. The meeting will also seek input from the provinces to examine if they have allocated enough funds for water projects as promised under the national water charter.

The water policy had given an undertaking that the selection of future water reservoirs would be made with a consensus among all stakeholders — in line with the 1991 water apportionment accord — and after a thorough examination of the impacts on sea intrusion, environmental protection and provincial water rights.

The policy set an initial target of increasing storage capacity of the existing 14 million acre feet (MAF) by immediately starting construction work on the 6.4 MAF Diamer-Bhasha dam, which had already been cleared by the CCI in 2009.

The policy empowered the provinces to develop their master plans within a national framework for sustainable development and management of water resources. It conceded that water resource is a national responsibility, but irrigation, agriculture, water supply, environment and other water-related sub-sectors are provincial subjects.

The policy recognises the need to provide at least 10 per cent of the federal Public Sector Development Programme to the water sector — gradually increasing it to 20pc by 2030. The provinces will also increase expenditure on the water sector as the total allocation of Rs145 billion — 7pc of the combined federal and provincial development budget for 2017-18 — was inadequate to address the many challenges.

Under the policy, water losses — currently estimated at 46 MAF per year — must be cut by 33pc by 2030 through canal and watercourse lining. Water efficiency will also be increased by 30pc by 2030 through improved technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation as well as a realistic water pricing policy.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2018