23 December 2004	Thursday	10 Ziqa'ad 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The sixth meeting of the technical committee on water resources ended on Wednesday without reaching consensus on Terms of References (ToRs) for water assessment , criteria for the filling of the Mangla dam and operational criteria of link canals, including the Chashma-Jehlum and Taunsa-Punjnad canals.

Sources privy to the meeting told Dawn that Sindh had voiced serious reservations over the filling criteria and asked the Indus River System Authority to avoid filling the dam until its water needs were met.

The sources said that the failure of the committee, which remained in session for three days, had put further pressure on its chairman A.N.G. Abbasi as President General Pervez Musharraf waited for the final report of the committee. They said the government had already extended the deadline for submission of the final report on the request of the committee.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Mr Abbasi said '80 per cent consensus' had been evolved on the ToRs for water availability criteria for the filling of Mangla dam and operational criteria of links canals.

However, he added, the committee could not agree on the method of water assessment. It was yet to be decided whether to assess the water availability form 1977 onwards or from 1991 onwards, he pointed out.

In reply to a question, Mr Abbasi said the committee would meet in January to work out ToRs for the future big dams and added that Wapda and the planning commission would present their presentations in this regard until the ToRs were finalized.

The technical committee, he said, would review the water distribution under the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord as Sindh was of the view that the present mechanism was not in accordance with the spirit of the water accord. He said the committee would submit its recommendations for a more accurate and transparent water distribution system.

The chairman said that President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz were anxiously waiting for the report of the technical committee on water availability and future dams, "but we would take some time for accurate recommendations as it is a very sensitive issue on which the fate of our future generations rests".