ISLAMABAD, June 17: The government has called a meeting of irrigation secretaries of Balochistan and Sindh for resolving the dispute over the supply of water and settling latter’s claim of getting 93,000 cusecs less in the current Kharif season, Dawn reliably learnt.
The meeting earlier convened for June 18, has been rescheduled for June 21, following serious correspondence and exchange of letters among the two provincial government, Federal Ministry for Water and Power and Chief Executive Secretariat, a source said.
Balochistan Governor Amirul Mulk Mengal recently addressed a Demi Official letter commonly known as DO letter to Governor of Sindh Mohammadmian Soomro, protesting against the short supply of water to Balochistan which has resulted in serious hardships for the poor growers of the province.
A number of petitions by the Balochistan government had also been made to the Chief Executive Secretariat and Ministry for Water and Power seeking Centre’s intervention for securing Balochistan’s due amount of water as authorised by the Indus River System Authority.
Four canals — Patt Feeder, Kirthar, Uch and Maunity — carrying irrigation water from Sindh to Balochistan. The supply in the Patt Feeder canal has been restored but the supply in the remaining three canals was still short, a source said.
“Indent for Kirthar is 6,000 cusecs and for the last few days the province is getting as per the indent but in other canals a total of about 1,300 cusecs is less,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Media Development, on the directives of the Chief Executive Secretariat, is holding a two-day national conference titled “water for integration,” in Bhurban, Murree.
The conference, slated to be held on June 21-22, will be attended by irrigation secretaries and experts of the four provinces to prepare a set of recommendations for removing differences among the provinces.
Water projects the government plans to launch for enhancing resources, particularly those which have become controversial, will also be discussed at the conference, a source said.
