IN the effort to resolve the longstanding dispute between the two major agricultural provinces, Punjab and Sindh, over water sharing, the federal government has come up with a Rs450 million telemetry system project to provide online information on the flow and use of irrigation water along the Indus River Irrigation System and keep a check on “unauthorized use”. It is also embarking on a long overdue Rs10 billion plan to rehabilitate the irrigation system in critically water-starved Sindh.

By themselves, these measures do not seem quite enough to tackle the water scarcity problem in the country, judging by reports of the severity of the problem. Meteorologists warn that the country has entered a dry cycle with frequent drought conditions. Some experts predict that with prevailing consumption rates and a population growth of four million people a year, one out of three people in the country will soon face critical shortages of water, “threatening their very survival”.

For years on end, one federal government after the other practically just sat and watched as the water scarcity problem grew and grew. The scarcity of water in the River Indus system exacerbated the water-sharing dispute. The federal government, however, concentrated on trying to paper over the problem by establishing Irsa (Indus River System Authority), which focused on working out delicate compromises on water-sharing arrangements among the four provinces but in the process only exacerbating the division among the provinces. These compromises made through Irsa never quite worked because they were based on power and politics rather than overall environmental, ecological, economic and social concerns.

The result was that the real problem was being totally overlooked and neglected, which is, the depleting water supply flowing into the Indus and its tributaries, and the adverse impact this was having on the ecosystem and the economy, the impact being most evident in the lower reaches of the river system.

As the water dispute raged on, water in the River Indus system continued to dwindle. Today the problem has reached crisis proportions with the country being classified by the World Bank as a “highly water stressed” region.

The water scarcity problem has resulted from several factors combined, including global weather changes and the El Nino and La Nina phenomena which have been causing less rainfall over the region; the ever growing water demand by an ever growing number of domestic, industrial and agricultural users; serious shortcomings in the water storage system; and a hopelessly outdated irrigation system which is causing a seepage loss that has been estimated to be as high as 60 per cent in the lower reaches of the Indus River. By one estimate of the ministry of water and power, a whopping 35 million acre-feet, “the equivalent of six Tarbela (dam) reservoirs”, is lost in ground seepage annually. On top of all this came the drought some four to five years ago, which does not seem to be going away.

The impact on the country’s overall agricultural production, the mainstay of the economy which provides the bulk of the foreign trade revenues of the country, has been disastrous. Agricultural production in 2000-2001 was a minus 2.5 per cent, largely attributed to a 43 per cent shortfall in water. The impact has been more pronounced because of the narrow base of the agricultural sector. Three of the country’s four major arable crops, viz. rice, cotton and sugarcane, are water-intensive crops. This renders the agricultural sector, plus other agriculture related sectors, highly vulnerable to the water shortage problem.

What successive federal governments have failed to recognize is the fact that water is a fast diminishing natural resource nationally. The water shortage is not a problem of Balochistan’s or Sindh’s; it is Pakistan’s problem. And it has to be tackled nationally as a whole, with due attention and resources to those regions where the water shortage problem is most acute.

The importance of the Indus River system for the country is well-known. At both the city and village levels, the Indus River is the main source of domestic and industrial water. The estimate is that at least 80 per cent of all the water consumption comes from streams, canals, reservoirs and wells recharged by the river or its tributaries. The Indus River and its tributaries also provide nearly 60 per cent of the water utilized for irrigation of the country’s agricultural crops. Most of the remainder is groundwater, which is recharged by various basin streams. Moreover, dams on the main stem of the Indus River and its tributaries produce some 45 per cent of the country’s electrical energy.

The country cannot afford to lose anymore water in its only river system. The federal government has to provide the direction for a definitive and proactive water policy, encompassing smart water management techniques. This will have to include a comprehensive national plan to reduce water wastage by all consumers, agricultural, industrial and domestic, regardless of where they are living.

This may involve the need to use economic incentives (and disincentives) to promote more efficient use of water. The federal government will also need to look into the recycling of waste and sewerage water for irrigation and other non-drinking purposes; a ban on the dumping of untreated domestic and industrial wastes into fresh water bodies; and even the establishment of desalinization plants in areas where drinking water can be harvested from the sea.

Water scarcity has become a standing feature because of successive federal governments’ failure to nip the water problem in the bud and take the necessary action to ameliorate the situation. Neither the drought nor the dry cycle can simply be wished away. Even if rainfall conditions do improve a little, the fact remains that the global weather conditions have changed and the supply of water is diminishing.

Yet at the same time, the demand for water for irrigation, industrial and domestic use and for hydropower generation is ever on the rise. Experts say the water shortfall in the country has reached an all-time high of 54 per cent. Something has to be done to prevent this gap between water availability and consumption needs from widening. In fact, the government needs to work at closing this gap on a war-footing.

Things cannot but only grow worse if the federal government does not act in time. At stake are the lives of 140 million people, with this number increasing annually, all of who depend on the flow of the River Indus.

REFERRING to the recent wave of protest rallies held in every nook and corner of Sindh against the construction of Thal canal, Ibrat deplores that the federal government has failed to respond to this agitation. According to the daily, if Islamabad kept on maintaining silence over this protest, the already existing disappointment towards the federation in this deprived province will reach its peak which will not augur well for the federation.

The shadow of economic catastrophe, created by the canals and dams built over the River Indus in the upcountry, is already looming large over agrarian Sindh. Under this depressing situation, when the greater Thal canal project was approved, the province’s populace began feeling even more insecure about their future. This led to an acute sense of grief and outrage, gripping not only the growers but also the people from every walk of life.

That is why it becomes the responsibility of the federal government to pay heed to the public opinion of the province, which provides the federal pool the largest amount, and withdraw this unjust decision.

The approval of the controversial project by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council is not the end of the world. Even if this decision was made there due to weak representation of Sindh and majority and tactfulness of the representatives of Punjab and Wapda, the federal government, particularly President Gen Pervez Musharraf, should take personal interest in this matter and rescind this decision in the larger national interest.

The abrupt decision on this dispute, which has been lingering on since the British rule, creates the impression that finally the thrust of Punjab has been accepted. It will be dangerous to sacrifice national interest and provincial harmony at the altar of one province’s interest.

Tameer-i-Sindh laments that once again the meeting of the Indus River System Authority has failed to reach a consensus on water sharing with Punjab refusing to change its position. This situation shows that the matter has been deadlocked and cannot be resolved without overcoming the impasse. This meeting was called on the president’s directions to evolve a new formula on water distribution.

However, its failure suggests that before issuing such directions, it should have been thought as to why the implementation of the 1991 Water Accord is being opposed when this agreement was reached after taking into consideration every aspect of the matter. And why this accord was signed in the first place if it was not to be implemented. The revival of the water dispute at a time when the approval of the Thal canal project has yielded a new controversy seems to be aimed at hushing up the former issue. Wapda as well as Punjab’s representative at Irsa should avoid such tactics because this is bound to produce negative results, and at least the federal government should understand this.

Kawish hails the Sukkur district Nazim’s assurance that private schools will be asked to teach Sindhi as a compulsory subject. In the thousands of private schools in the cities of Sindh there is no arrangement for the teaching of Sindhi as a compulsory subject and thus Sindhi students are being deprived of their internationally accepted right of getting education in their mother tongue. It should be made obligatory for them to introduce Sindhi as a compulsory subject. Besides, institutions like the Sindhi Language Authority, Sindhi Adabi Board and Sindh Textbook Board should adopt measures for developing and promoting the language.

Why is the United Nations silent on the massacre of the innocent Palestinians by the Zionist Israel? Asking this question, Sindhu deplores that the resolution of the Palestinian problem is due since long but the silence of the UN and the world community has encouraged Israel to pursue its fascist policy more ruthlessly. The international community and the USA instead of making Israel accountable for its misdeeds are blaming the Palestinians for the violence. Such policies create hatred for the US and the UN and extremist tendencies among Muslim community of the world.

THE visit of the Indian information minister, Sushma Swaraj, who came, who talked and who tried to conquer the public mind by evading the contentious bilateral issues, is just the beginning of warming relations between India and Pakistan which may lead to breaking of ice pretty soon. When? Well, the process, which is already under way through extensive back channel diplomacy, would make a visible difference in the next two to three months. As the year would approach its end, the relations would be improved beyond belief for many hawks having stakes in the military industrial complex.

At least, that’s what the diplomats from the next door neighbour tried to convey to hacks at the 12th national day celebrations of Lithuania, hosted by the honorary counsel general Masud Khan.

The military attache of the Indian High Commission, Brig Karwal, was full of optimism sharing his assessment of the shape of things likely to come in the next few months and change the destiny of millions agonizing below the poverty line in the next few months. “The decision to send Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan was approved by the cabinet, the highest decision making body in India, a fact which is not known to many here.”

Brig Karwal, without his military uniform, was candid enough to share his ideas on the situation on the borders and the possibilities of de-escalation. If one were to believe him, the troops of the two countries may be sitting eye ball to eye ball in the aftermath of December 13 but there should not be much cause to worry. He dismissed the conspiracy theories that the stakeholders on both sides of the divide had deputed the forces to get over the domestic problems — elections in the case of India and joining hand with US-led international coalition against Afghanistan in Pakistan.

For President Musharraf, as one mole put it, the deployment of troops on the borders has paid dividends as possibilities of any more Zaheerul Islam Abbasi trying to challenge decision of the top leadership were minimised.

For the Indians, the first bone of contention is the signing of the extradition treaty, basically to check the issue of cross-border terrorism. The issue is already on the table of the foreign office babus. As for Kashmir, let us leave it aside for the next meetings!

The Saudi ambassador, Ali Awadh Asseri, seemed confident that the Middle East peace proposal would be adopted by the Arab nations in the forthcoming meeting of the Arab League at the end of the month. Expressing the hope that it would lead to a resolution of the longstanding festering problem, the Saudi ambassador pointed out with a sense of satisfaction that it has been acclaimed widely. Now it is to be seen whether secret talks are held with Israel on the proposal or everything is debated in open with the entire world focussed on the issue.

The British High Commissioner, Hillary Synnott, was all praise for the work being done by Gen (rtd) Naqvi’s secretive NRB which, for some, stands for National Recycle Bin. Since part of the funding for the NRB is coming from the UK, the Mr Synnott should know how the money of his country’s taxpayers is being spent by Gen (rtd) Naqvi and his band of consultants engaged in fabricating what Gen Musharraf calls, ‘genuine’ democracy for the illiterate masses of this hapless country which has known only the rule of covert or overt military in its 52 years of existence.

Doing a lot of travelling these days to understand the dynamics of the motions set in by the Naqvi band is the Swedish ambassador, Peter Tejler. The impressions he got from the Choudhry’s of Gujrat is that the younger ones at the local level will not allow the elder players at the provincial and national levels to intrude in their jurisdiction in terms of the power sharing. Once the National and provincial assemblies are established, it would be interesting to see how the dynamics of the relations from the grass-roots at village, tehsil, district and then the provincial and national levels would lead to power wranglings.

Omar Asghar Khan, on whom the lady luck has not smiled like his NGO colleague Zobaida Jalal, was more than optimistic to make a difference with his vote bank. But where, he is not sure and would like to wait before identifying his electoral niche until the delimitation of constituencies became clear. But Dr Zafar Mirza of the Network, who has allied himself with Mr Khan in Qaumi Jamhoori Party, is optimistic that Abbottabad would be a safe constituency for him. With all the votes of Tehrik-i- Istiqlal, which were never enough for Air Marshall (rtd) Asghar Khan to win a seat, if added to the vote bank of NGOs coming up with an agenda of good governance and politics, things might look a bit rosy for the daddy’s little boy. But, if he ever had to vote for Ms Jalal as the next prime minister, with all the backing of Bush and Powell, he would still do it on the basis of merit. However, like many, he termed the talk about future prime ministers being too speculative, specially when a number of small parties are expected to make it to a hung parliament if the elections for the National Assembly were held on schedule, which our erstwhile Prince Miangul Aurangzeb of Swat believes will not be the case.

SINCE ages the Quetta valley and its surrounding human settlements have been getting water supply from subsoil sources only. Withdrawal of water from the subsoil sources has remained normal or sub-normal for a century or so. The people did get water supply for domestic uses and also for their limited orchards from these sources. For the past three decades the withdrawal of water from subsoil has been abnormal, outmatching the natural recharge.

Two main factors are responsible for this. The population growth is unprecedented, having no parallel since the disturbed political conditions in Afghanistan. There was a massive inflow of Afghans, mainly the economic refugees. Secondly, the rural push and urban pull factor, attracting people from the lowest level of poverty. The population pressure remained unparalleled.

Mohammad Zakir, a senior official who specialized in extending civic services to Karachi, Quetta and score of other cities, think Quetta is the fastest-growing city of Pakistan. Balochistan is yet to come out of the prolonged drought and the Quetta valley is affected more severely than some other regions. It received about 80mm of rains during the current wet season, bringing some relief to the local people.

The water-table fell steeply in the absence of normal recharge, causing panic among the people, in general, and civic planners, in particular. It did cause panic among the planners, but the local residents were more worried following a warning from the Asian Development Bank experts, who conducted the preliminary survey of the available water resources for the city. There was a legitimate concern among the residents, keeping in view the usual inefficiency and ignorance on the part of decision-makers at the official level.

The ADB warning sent a shock wave to the concerned quarters. It was discussed at the local level and the matter was brought to the notice of the president, seeking federal help in tiding over the water crisis in Quetta or else it could be a big desert if no fresh sources of subsoil water was found soon. The president was briefed in Quetta and a water management committee was formed under the chairmanship of the governor.

The president assigned the job to army engineers in Quetta for finding a suitable solution to the water crisis. At the same time the Manila-based ADB financed the studies carried out to find subsoil water for Quetta. The army engineers did help the civilian authorities and struck substantial water in the foothills of Murdar and Zarghoon Hills overlooking the Quetta. According to an estimate, the water quantity is sufficient to meet the needs of the valley for another quarter of a century.

Interestingly, the president went a step further and promised to finance the whole project from the federal resources. He immediately instructed the concerned officials from the economic division to find donors and creditors for financing the Greater Quetta Water Supply Project. According to credible sources, the economic division officials did get firm assurances from a friendly country to make available enough funds to finance the project once its PC-I is approved by the Ecnec. Presumably, the entire financing will be a soft loan from a friendly Muslim country in our neighbourhood.

All these developments took place during the spring 2000. From that day, work on the PC-I started. It was given a final shape last month and presented before the water management committee. From this point, the project started moving in reverse gear. The reasons are not known: personal grudges, professional rivalries, different provincial agencies competing to become the executing agency of this mega project costing Rs6 billion or more!

Some bright chap at the meeting cleverly suggested that the two open surface water storage dams, the Halak dam and Mangi dam, should also be included in the PC-I. Preliminary studies of both the dams are ready. These catchy and fine remarks were reportedly approved and the executing agency was asked to include both the dams in the Greater Quetta Water Supply Project.

It was a strange decision for the common newspaper readers as it amounts to only delaying the project. It already took two long years preparing the PC-I for anticipatory approval of the Ecnec, subject to a detailed designing and planning of the project by competent consultant and engineers. Inclusion of two dams would further delay the implementation of the project. It amounts to refixing the priorities, changing all the documents spread over more than 800 pages.

Secondly, Quetta water supply system is based on subsoil water resources. Water is drawn from deep wells, naturally filtered, since ages. It needs no filter plants, no de-germination at any stage. It is straight away supplied to the consumer, with the knowledge that it is fit for human consumption by all standard.

On the contrary, the open surface dams or water storage facilities require massive filter plants and treatment facilities to making the water fit for domestic uses or human consumption. The two systems of water supply are incompatible. They should have been kept separate for the cause of efficiency and early implementation of the project.

A parallel PC-I supplementing the Greater Quetta Water Supply Project-II can also be launched. Anyhow the existing project should not be delayed for one reason or the other.

Balochistan is known for delaying the projects in the past. It squarely places the blames on the federal government while hiding its inherent weaknesses and inefficiencies. The mega projects took more than a quarter of a century and some of them are still incomplete. The provincial bureaucracy hates making serious efforts in preparing documents for approval by Ecnec. That is why fewer schemes are sent to the Ecnec from Balochistan. The provincial bureaucracy is responsible for this state of affairs.

The Mirani dam project was sent into cold storage after an objection was raised by the Balochistan representative on the Ecnec that a road linking Turbat with the dam site was not necessary. It was the most illogical objection as the road cost was less than Rs20 million while the project cost was over Rs4.5 billion, all soft loan from the Russian Federation, mainly the company which built the Aswan Dam in Egypt.

The Mirani dam remained in cold storage for 14 long years. In other words, over 30,000 families were denied livelihood for 14 long years plus loss of production of wheat and vegetable and revenue to the public exchequer. Interestingly, the rate of economic return to the Mirani dam was 17 per cent when its documents were studied by Ecnec. Will the Greater Quetta Water Supply Project receive the same fate? Only the decision-makers can answer this.

THE chairman of Punjab’s Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) recently constituted a 10-member district board of management (DBM) for Multan. Seven of its members, including the president, belong to the industrial sector. The remaining three members are TEVTA’s district manager, who will be the secretary of the board, an educationist and a representative of the district Nazim.

Interestingly, a local leader of PML-QA and former MPA Maulvi Sultan Alam Ansari, has been appointed as the board member against the seat of the educationist. Mr Ansari is a practising lawyer and a former judge of the anti-terrorism court.

The board is supposed to run the affairs of technical and commercial education and vocational training in the district. The Multan DBM is also tasked to manage the affairs of technical education in Muzaffargarh district because the board is the first of its kind to be constituted in southern Punjab since the creation of TEVTA in 1999.

However, the TEVTA authorities have given a rather insignificant role to the district government of Multan in the board. And they have deprived the Muzaffargarh district government of any role in policy-making.

Each district government has executive district officers for education, literacy and information technology. But, none is considered fit to have any role at the DBM of TEVTA. Even the Bahauddin Zakariya University which conducts examinations for B.Tech, B.Com and M.Com, has no representation on the DBM. In fact, the affairs of technical education have been put at the mercy of a few profit-driven entrepreneurs. The TEVTA chairman, Sikandar Mustafa Khan, himself is an industrialist.

The annual report of the provincial ombudsman, Punjab, for the year 2000 reads:

“TEVTA came into existence as a result of an ordinance but its functions are not being regulated properly. At the moment, it is headed by a part time chairman and members who are mainly preoccupied with their functions in their respective industries. A whole time GM/MD/chairman should be appointed to streamline the functioning of TEVTA and the institutions working under it.”

No rules have so far been notified to regulate the working relationship between TEVTA and the agencies working under it. The industries department should, therefore, get the rules notified to regulate the working relationship between TEVTA and the lower formations.

But, the department of industries and mineral development seems to be helpless to act in accordance with the Ombudsman’s report due to the acceptance enjoyed by the TEVTA chairman in the power corridors irrespective of whether there is a civilian government or a military one. Instead, the provincial secretary of the industries department has to attend meetings chaired by TEVTA chairman, although the authority is a subsidiary of the industries department according to its own ordinance.