LAHORE, Dec 30: The Punjab Water Council (PWC) on Friday refused to accept Kalabagh dam without a left bank canal. Speaking at a Press conference, PWC President Farhatullah Khan, flanked by Hamid Malhi, Rabia Sultan, Farooq Bajwa, Umer Sarfraz Cheema, demanded immediate construction of the dam.

The PWC office-bearers also accused the Punjab chief minister of taking a ‘weak stand’ on the issue.

“The dam without canals would be an irreparable loss to farmers,” said Rabia Sultan. Link canals in the irrigation system, she said, were meant for sharing water and, under the 1991 accord, every province had right to draw water from every canal.

She also dispelled the impression that the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Punjnad canals were floodwater channels .

“Various circles are targeting Punjab without any justification and levelling accusations like usurping others’ rights which is regrettable,” she said.

In the heat of the moment, she claimed, various circles had even become intellectually dishonest and distorting even simple and easily verifiable facts. “Punjab has always scarified for others and surrendered its water share when required,” she said. “In these circumstances, accusing it of usurping others’ rights hardly makes sense.”

Mr Hamid Malhi took the occasion to claim that Punjab’s water share should not be less than 51 per cent if availability remained below 114 million acre feet. But its share had been reduced sub stantially because of the 1991 water accord. “The accord has proven to be a trap (for the Punjab).”

Bitterly criticising the provincial leadership, Mr Malhi said “if they have to do politics here, they have to look after the interest of the province as well.”

The country, he added, had been witnessing acute water shortage due to silting up of the existing reservoirs. Despite the filling-up of Tarbela and Mangla, he said the country was facing 18 per cent water shortage during the current Rabi season.

Farooq Bajwa claimed that Punjab’s farmers were now getting 54maf only whereas they got 66.5maf in 1947. Sindh, he said, had no sole right on Indus water. “Punjab is an equal partner, if not more,” he asserted.

Water shortage, he said, had threatened the very existence of the country and not of a single federating unit. Bajwa said underground water table was dwindling with every passing day. Quoting an international study, he said the aquifer was depleting at a yearly rate of 15maf. “The country is heading towards disaster if it fails to shore up its storage capacity. It needs a series of big reservoirs.”

Umer Sarfraz Cheema was of the view that the Punjab government was fast losing popularity among farmers due to its inefficiency in the agriculture sector. He wanted the provincial government to provide free electricity to farmers as they had to foot heavy bills for pumping out water for irrigation.