ISLAMABAD, June 15: People's Party Parliamentarians' lawmakers from Sindh on Tuesday protested in the National Assembly against reduced release of water for their province and accused the government of violating the Indus water accord.

In a call-attention notice, they said that a sharp drop in water level had been witnessed at the Sukkur Barrage during the months of April, May and June which caused 47 per cent shortage in its seven canals.

Minister for Water and Power Aftab Sherpao, however, told the house that extreme weather conditions which caused ups and downs in the water flow and increase in water losses to over 50 per cent, against last four years' average of 28 per cent, were the major causes of water shortage, otherwise the government was implementing the 1991 water accord.

The call-attention notice was sought to be moved by Syed Qurban Ali Shah, Mohammad Ali Malkani, Pir Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani, Syed Naveed Qamar, and Nawab Abdul Ghani Talpur.

The minister said that a committee had been formed to find out the causes of water losses from Chashma to Sukkur Barrage. The committee comprises chief engineer of Wapda, adviser to chief engineer and a representative of Irsa.

When asked about theft of water on its way through Punjab, the minister said that Wapda was responsible for judicious distribution of water from the source, while it was the responsibility of provincial irrigation departments to maintain its flow.

The minister said 252,000 cusecs were released from Chashma on June 9. Its size swelled to 266,300 cusecs the following day, but it would take a week to reach the Sukkur Barrage, he added.