"Due to our inefficient irrigation methods and wastefulness in urban water use, our water resources are seriously stressed. The water situation in the country is a serious cause of concern for the whole nation," the Minister said while talking to media during a de-siltation inspection visit of the Lahore Canal on Friday. He urged the media to raise awareness on prevailing water situation in Punjab and highlight the need for adopting efficient water use methods including rainwater harvesting, efficient irrigation and water recycling.
Leghari also said that the de-siltation campaign in Mangla Command canals has been extended to January 31 due to recent rains which slowed down the works. "The draft of provincial water act is ready and the law department is fine-tuning it. This act is one of the key initiatives of the PTI government in ensuring sustainable management of the province's water resources."
He said the Punjab irrigation department's infrastructure has been valued at over Rs 2500 billion and over Rs 50 billion are needed annually for the maintenance of this system. He said recurring maintenance expenditures of irrigation system necessitate a revisit of the abiana rates in the province. Abiana was fixed at Rs 135 per year per acre in 2002 and since then it has not been revised whereas the maintenance cost has gone up considerably.
He informed the media that over 40 per cent work on de-siltation of perennial canals has been completed and the rest will be completed by the end of January.
He said in this phase of de-siltation campaign 316 perennial channels will be de-silted in the province and it will be followed by de-siltation in 304 non-perennial channels which will be completed by the end of April. De-siltation plays a key role in ensuring water supplies to the tail-end reaches of the system, said the minister.