THATTA, June 7: Sindh has suffered huge losses due to acute water shortage for the last six years but this year comparatively more water for the province can be expected but there seems to be no possibility of water release downstream Kotri.

This was said by Sindh irrigation secretary Imtiaz Qazi while talking to journalists at the irrigation department office here on Friday.

He said that the federal government had earmarked Rs30 billion for remodelling and streamlining irrigation network in Sindh and Rs1 billion out of the package would be released during the new fiscal year.

He said that a three-member committee — consisting former irrigation minister, Sardar Mughal and Hafiz Shaikh — was being constituted to conduct a thorough study of the irrigation network of Sindh, find out the cause of prevailing crisis and evolve strategies to overcome any water crisis in future.

He claimed that there was no water shortage in the Guddu and Sukkur barrages and said that efforts were being made to overcome water crisis in Kotri Barrage in four or five days.

He said that as against the requirement of at least 30,000 cusecs of water at downstream Kotri barrage, only 17,000 cusecs of water were available there.

He said that their first priority was to supply water to tail-end of the canals where fertile land was rendered barren.

He admitted that in 1991 Water Accord, at least 10 million acre feet water was reserved for downstream Kotri.

Commenting on the controversy over Keenjhar Lake, he said that lake fell under the control of the provincial departments of tourism, fisheries and irrigation departments.

The irrigation secretary said that if exclusively entrusted the control of the lake, his department could turn the lake into an international tourism spot and a meeting was to be convened with the department concerned on Sunday in this regard.

He said the control of the lake should not be handed over to the Thatta District Government.