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Crucial Sindh-Punjab water row to be taken up on 11th

Posted on: Mon February 08, 2010

ISLAMABAD: The southern Punjab is going to be the first casualty of the ongoing tug of war over water withdrawal between the Punjab and Sindh, as both the federating units failed to settle their dispute in the meeting of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) here the other day.

 Sindh, in the meeting, flatly refused to agree to the opening of the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Punjnand Link Canals, which are meant to irrigate the vast areas of the southern Punjab, a senior official of the water regulator, who attended the meeting, told The News.

When contacted, Idrees Rana Khalid, Spokesman of Irsa, said that the meeting was crucial but remained inconclusive. However, he refused to share the contents of the meeting, saying it was an internal meeting of the Irsa.

However, the official said that the low riparian federating unit (i.e. Sindh) was of the view that since the Punjab had not only used its water share from the Indus Zone, it had also used excess water to the tune of 0.4 million acre feet through the said link canals.

Sindh argued that it was earlier decided in the meeting that took place on December 17 that the Punjab would give the same quantum of water i.e. 0.4 million acre feet from the Mangla Zone, but it did not honour the commitment and released only 0.1 million acre feet of water.

The Punjab, in the meeting, took the stance that since the flows in both Chenab and Jhelum rivers had reduced alarmingly for the first time in history, in the Mangla Reservoir the level of the stored water stayed at just 0.3 MAF while in Tarbela, it was 0.8 MAF. This is the main reason that Sindh and Balochistan could not be compensated from the Mangla Zone.

However, the Punjab, which is the food basket of the country, needs water from its share, which is being denied. The Punjab member in Irsa argued that Sindh was the champion of proportionate depletion of both the dams. Now Tarbela has stored 0.8 million acre feet of water while Mangla had just 0.3 million acre feet of water. This is the main reason that the Punjab is seeking water from the Indus Zone again as in Mangla Reservoir, water was not enough to cater to the needs of the southern Punjab.

Sources said the Punjab member also recalled that when Pakistan surrendered three rivers to India i.e. Sutlej, Ravi and Beas, Mangla and Tarbela Dams and link canals were built against the compensation, but the Punjab was not being allowed to use the link canals to have its share.

In the meeting, the Punjab raised another point of a very serious nature that Trimmu and Sidhnai command have gone dry because of which the main areas of the southern Punjab, which include Pakpattan, Mailsi, Bahawalpur and Bawalnagar, would be affected as the standing crops would not get the required watering, which is essential for wheat produce. Because of this very bitter fact, the Punjab placed the demand of 6,000 cusecs of water from the Chashma-Jhelum link canal.

Courtesy : The News