PPP Senator Taj Haider claimed that in Kharif season Sindh faced water shortage of 52 per cent from April 1 to April 10 due to which the province could not cultivate its crops. He also stated that 2.2 million acres of Sindh land has intruded into sea, adding if necessary steps are not taken, the land of Thatta will go into sea. He further stated the shortage of water from March 21 to March 31, 2017 was recorded at 49 per cent.
Director Operations Irsa, Rana Khalid rejected the claim of Senator Taj Haider about 52 per cent shortage in Sindh in April, saying that Irsa provided water to all provinces in accordance with their indents in April.
Senator Taj Haider, who is deadly against the construction of Kalabagh Dam, urged the construction of new water reservoirs and de-silting of existing reservoirs. He was of the view that the capacity of reservoirs is diminishing due to silting. The officials of Water and Power Ministry informed the committee that with the construction of Basha and Dasu Dams, the age of Tarbela dam will increase by 30 years.
Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak who was furious over the absence of ministers from the meeting said that this has to be analysed whether or not de-silting is feasible. Any such exercise would be very expensive. He was of view that the committee meeting should not be convened until minister for water and power confirms his availability. Senator Mohsin Leghari, who hails from Dera Ghazi Khan, said that it would not be fair to malign Irsa for water shortage, adding that shortage was not only in Sindh but was also recorded in Punjab. According to his information, water was made available to Sindh by closing canals of Punjab. "When sufficient water is not available, shortage is imminent," he added.
Senator Leghari claimed if per acre water is calculated, Sindh is getting double quantity of water as compared to Punjab. He suggested that the committee should recommend allocation of funds for this purpose. "We use water very carelessly because it is free in Pakistan," he continued. Chairman Irsa Syed Mazhar Ali Shah said that Irsa distributes water in accordance with Water Accord, adding that Sindh gets due share in available water. However, it is a fact that water takes 15-16 days to reach interior Sindh.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017