HYDERABAD/THATTA: Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro has said that Sindh will not accept diversion of Indus River’s water to new canals and oppose clearance of Rs211 billion water projects of Punjab by the Executive Committee of National Econo­mic Council (Ecnec).

He said at a press conference at Hatri bypass, the venue for the party’s public meeting being held in connection with the 17th anniversary of Oct 18 Karsaz tragedy, on Wednesday that Nowadays, he said, plan for new canals project for Punjab was being discussed and Sindh had objected to water availability certificate issued by Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to Punjab in spite of Sindh’s dissenting note in January 2024.

He said that Sindh government had moved Council of Common Interests (CCI) on this issue, the then caretaker Sindh chief minister Justice (retired) Maqbool Baqir had written a letter on the issue and Younus Dagha being technical member of Ecnec had opposed Greater Thal Canal and Cholistan Canal on Feb 7, 2024.

He said that Ecnec had decided the matter while linking approval of the controversial water projects to approval from CCI. Still, he said, the matter was taken up at Central Development Working Party’s (CDWP) meeting on Oct 11 and it was cleared.

He said that Sindh would not accept the new canals and he in his capacity as Sindh’s member on Ecnec would oppose the project because the province had very clear stance on the issue.

Karsaz blasts anniversary

The minister said that despite his tight schedule these days in connection with the 26th amendment, PPP chairman would attend the gathering on Friday.

He said that in his party leaders led by example. Benazir Bhutto was threatened not to come to Pakistan yet she returned to lead homecoming rally on Oct 18 and Z.A. Bhutto did not flinch from his principled stand till his judicial murder.

He said that Sindh chief minister had apologised for police action against protesters in Karachi on Oct 1. The minister had, however, a different opinion on PTI’s protests and said that no peaceful protest could be stopped but PTI had shown a different tendency post-May 9 disturbances.

Canals project threatens Sindh’s survival: Sassui Ms Sassui Palijo, a former legislator of the Pakistan Peoples Party, said at a press conference at Thatta Press

Club on Wednesday that the proposal for the project for constructing six additional canals on the Indus River to irrigate land in Cholistan desert in Punjab was seen as an unjustified appropriation of Sindh’s vital water resources.

She said the project threatened the province’s agricultural system, which solely relied the Indus. The 1991 Indus Water Accord was designed to ensure fair distribution of water between the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, allocating fixed shares to each, she said.

According to the agreement, Sindh is entitled to 37.5 million acre feet (MAF) annually, with an additional 10 MAF allocated for the environment. Over the years, Sindh learnt to its horror, Punjab managed to secure more than its fair share in water through various means, she said.

She claimed that Sindh’s leaders argued that the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) was biased and often favoured Punjab. This bias was particularly worrying for Sindh, where the water supply was not only crucial for agriculture but also for sustaining livelihoods of millions of people who subsisted on farming and fishing in the Indus delta, she said.

Sassui said that Sindh was already facing severe water crisis, with many parts of the province experiencing a significant reduction in water flows. Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, and Tando Muhammad Khan were facing water shortages that threatened their crop yields, she said.

Farmers and fishermen were losing their livelihoods as water levels in the river and lakes continued to drop, she said.

Ms Palijo said that now, the proposal for constructing six new canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert in Punjab was being seen as a direct threat to Sindh’s already fragile irrigation system.

These canals were intended to bring water to an arid region that had historically relied on rainfall and underground reservoirs for irrigation. Many argued that diverting water from the Indus to Cholistan was unjust, especially when Sindh’s water needs were not being met, she said.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2024