KARACHI:
The controversial proposal to build six new canals on the Indus River to irrigate Punjab’s Cholistan Desert continued to soar relations between two key allies of the Centre’s coalition government, with the PPP calling on Saturday for greater clarity and responsibility on the part of the federal government. .
Lashing out at Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for dismissing Sindh’s objections to the canal project as “baseless”, the PPP drew attention to the widespread protests across Sindh against the controversial canals, saying that the people of the province expressed serious reservations and resentment towards the canal project. projects.
The PPP also questioned the federal government’s failure to convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the constitutional forum responsible for resolving interprovincial disputes, to address water concerns.
PPP Sindh Chairman Nisar Khuhro, terming the federal government’s position as weak, raised serious doubts over the implementation of the 1991 water accord and questioned the feasibility of the proposed canal projects .
He wondered how Punjab could have surplus water to fill the 4,152 cusecs capacity of the Cholistan canals, saying, “If Punjab does not have extra water, where will the supply of these channels?
Khuhro also raised concerns over the renovation of Qadirabad, Sulemanki and Rasul dams to channel water from Jhelum river to Cholistan canals. He warned that the plan may require continued operation of the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals, potentially rendering Sindh’s lands barren.
The PPP leader reiterated Sindh’s long-standing apprehensions, saying that the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals, designated as flood canals, could be exploited continuously to divert water from Sindh to the canals of Cholistan.
He demanded an explanation from the federal government regarding these concerns.
Khuhro also accused the federal government of failing to fully implement the 1991 Water Accord.
“Although the federal government talks about water allocation to provinces under the agreement, the reality is that it is not implemented in its entirety,” he said , stressing that the distribution of water was not carried out in accordance with paragraph 2 of the agreement.
He raised further questions over the alleged water thefts, particularly regarding the installation of Taunsa pumping machines at Guddu Dam to siphon off Sindh’s share of water. He criticized the lack of follow-up on the recommendations of the ministerial committee, led by Khalid Magsi, which called for measures to combat water theft and improve monitoring of water flows.
Khuhro called for the installation of a telemetry system to ensure transparent monitoring of water flow, noting that the federal government is yet to take this step.
He also questioned why the ICC, the constitutional forum responsible for resolving inter-provincial disputes, was not convened to address these water issues.
He accused the federal government of repeatedly violating constitutional provisions and ignoring the legitimate concerns of Sindh. “If water distribution is transparent, why hasn’t the telemetry system been put in place?” he asked.
Echoes from Kalabagh Dam
Drawing a parallel with the Kalabagh dam controversy, Khuhro reminded the government of Sindh’s strong opposition to the project during the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
He said the federal government had to abandon the Kalabagh dam due to resistance from Sindh. The same fate awaits these new canal projects, he said.
He urged the federal government to heed the voice of the people of Sindh, respect the resolution of the Sindh Assembly and immediately withdraw the projects regarding the controversial canals. “The people of Sindh will not allow a single drop of their rightful share of water to be stolen,” he promised.
Khuhro pointed out that Sindh’s lands are already suffering from insufficient water supply, with millions of acres rendered barren. He warned that the proposed channels would make the situation worse. “If Punjab wants to cultivate its wastelands, it should rely on groundwater or use reverse osmosis plants to make salt water usable,” he added.
Khuhro called on the federal government to honor the 1991 water agreement, respond to Sindh’s constitutional objections and immediately withdraw plans for contentious canal projects to avoid further damage to Sindh’s land and rights .
In a strong statement, former Senate President Mian Raza Rabbani urged the federal government and the minister to respect the provincial autonomy enshrined in the constitution. He stressed that the rights of Sindh as a lower riparian region and the sentiments of its people cannot be ignored.
He noted that the decision to construct new canals to draw water from the Indus river for agricultural purposes in Punjab’s Cholistan region could not be taken unilaterally by the federal government.
“This matter should and should have been brought before the Council of Common Interest (CCI) which the Federal Government has failed to convene since the inspection of its current mandate,” the statement said.
“The agricultural sector is the mainstay of the provincial economy, Sindh also contributes about 23% of the national value added of the federation; 41% of national rice production; 31% sugarcane and 21% wheat,” he noted.
He lamented that Sindh was already deprived of its fair and legitimate share in water distribution. “The provincial government has written to the federal government to convene an ICC meeting, which it continues to avoid.”
“Given the already destabilized political atmosphere, federal political tensions will only add to the destabilization, which can be detrimental to the system and the federation.”