Pakistan to pay $1.8m to India: Provision of water data
By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, June 3: Pakistan will pay to India an amount of $1.8 million as “data transmission charges” during the upcoming season for advance flood forecast and daily information supply on river situation, official sources told Dawn.
India, however, will not provide flood data on Thein Dam on river Ravi and Reasi on river Chenab, the sources said. An agreement to this effect was reached during the meeting of Permanent Commission on Indus Waters (PCIW) concluded in New Delhi two days ago.
Pakistan’s permanent commissioner on Indus Waters, who returned from New Delhi on Monday morning, briefed the 37th meeting of the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) over telephone from Lahore about this agreement.
When contacted the FFC Chairman, Riaz Ahmad Khan, confirmed that “an agreement has been reached (at the Delhi meeting) under which India would continue providing information on flood situation to Pakistan with effect from July 1, 2002.”
To a question, he said that under the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 Pakistan was required to pay “normal nominal charges for data transmission”. He, however, said that it would have been a “good gesture” from the Indian side if they could provide the data free of cost. He declined to quantify the charges.
Official sources said that the Indian side had demanded $3.5 million for data transmission, but later it agreed to reduce the figure to $1.8 million for this season.
An official statement issued later said: “As informed on telephone by the PCIW, both commissioners have agreed to repeat the arrangements for the flood season 2002 on the same pattern as for the previous year 2001, which include supply of data
of flood/base flow through telephone on daily basis and
Radio Jammu broadcast thrice daily information about flood flows. However, India will not provide the flood data on river Ravi on Thein Dam and Reasi on river Chenab.”
Construction of 450mw Baglihar power project on the Chenab by India is one of the controversies threatening the very existence of the treaty. When asked, the FFC chairman said that the PCIW had not submitted its report but since supply of flood data from India was on the agenda of the FFC’s meeting, the information was provided on telephone.
Riaz Ahmad Khan said that the flood warning centre had started working in Lahore from June 1, instead of its schedule of June 15 to receive information flow, while the provincial duty centres had also become functional.
The meeting was informed by the Met office that the monsoon season would be normal and thus no extraordinary flood was expected this year. The monsoon was, however, projected to start from the last week of June or the first week of July, instead of routine start from mid-July.
To a question about armed forces role in flood protection in view of border situation, the FFC chairman said that army involvement was always required only for evacuations and coordination which would remain available. However, provincial and district administration would enhance their flood-related deployments.
He said that water situation was normal at the moment which was not only meeting the current crop requirement but sufficient quantity was also being conserved.
An official statement said that meeting reviewed the status of strengthening of flood protection network by the provinces for the season 2002 and identification of areas of weaknesses, the progress on ongoing improvements in flood forecasting and warning system, including performance of the system during the monsoon season of 2001 and drought situation. The meeting also reviewed compliance of the decisions of previous FFC meeting on flood fighting plan for the year 2002 and preparedness of provincial irrigation departments.
The meeting was told that total length of the rivers in Punjab is 1,782 miles while the total length of flood bunds on both river banks is around 1,420 miles. This means that less than half of the total river lengths are covered by the flood protection bunds.
There are 14 barrages from which 21 main canals off-take. In addition, over 405 spurs have been constructed in the provinces for river training and providing protection to the infrastructure and the local population.
