August 25, 2005	Thursday	Rajab 19, 1426

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KARACHI, Aug 24: Sindh Irrigation and Power Minister Nadir Akmal Leghari has said that unless Sindh agrees on the quantity of water to be made available downstream Kotri, no future irrigation schemes should be taken up.

Inaugurating a two-day regional conference on “Integrated Water Resources Management in South Asia” on Wednesday, he said Sindh had taken a positive stance on Punjab’s demand for a study on ascertaining environmental losses to downstream three eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — given away to India under the Indus Basin Treaty.

“Sindh’s response to such a study is quite clear and positive as it has no objection to such a study,” he said. “But the issue of Kotri barrage downstream should not be mixed up with the study,” he added while referring to massive devastation caused by the diminishing river water supply to Indus Delta.

The conference was organized by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and SPRIDER, an EU project. It focuses on Indus Delta devastation, politics of water distribution and water management in Pakistan.

The massive devastation caused by sea intrusion in the Indus Delta region, inundation of 2.2 million acre of farmland in coastal districts of Sindh because of declining water release to Kotri downstream and the overall water distribution issue is being discussed in the conference.

Besides experts from Pakistan, engineers and consultants from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries are attending the conference.

Mr Leghari said the provincial government was alive to the water requirements of Sindh and the rich fish potential of the delta where 2.7 million people lived.

“Due to adverse global climatic conditions, water scarcity persisted for a couple of years in Pakistan, which diminished water flow down the Kotri and created certain socio-economic issues.

“But the federal and provincial governments are up to address these issues” he said while referring to another study to be conducted to assess requirement of water discharges downstream Kotri barrage to the Indus delta.

“The historic 1991 water accord and its provisions are our obligations,” he said and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to get the provisions implemented.

The minister said Pakistan shared water with two neighbouring countries - River Kabul with Afghanistan and the Indus and four others with India. He referred to Pakistan’s apprehensions on construction of Baglihar dam in India.

Earlier, Mohammad Ali Shah, the Chairman of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, in his address of welcome, accused Punjab of ‘illegal and excessive consumption of water’ on upstream of the Indus. It had led to a major decline in water flow downstream Kotri barrage over the past two decades, eradication of mangrove forests to one-third, submersion of 2.2 million acres of fertile land, depletion of fish resources and pushed down two million people below the food poverty line and forced 0.3 million people to migrate.

Alex Hill, the project manager SPRIDER project, in his brief speech, advocated a fair mechanism of water distribution between the communities sharing the Indus at the upstream and downstream.

Speaking in the first session, Dr Kaiser Bengali, a noted social scientist and economist, told the audience that all rights could be obtained only in a democratic order and under the rule of law. “Unfortunately, Pakistan has neither a democratic set up nor the rule of law, therefore, getting due share in river water will remain a dream.”

Journalist and researcher Anwar Pirzado, agriculturist and environmentalist M. H. Panhwar, Zulfikar Shah and Zulfikar Halepoto read papers in the session presided over by Dr Suleman Sheikh.

Six papers were presented in the second session. On Thursday, experts from Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will read papers.

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