ISLAMABAD, Jan 9: The Sindh government has raised serious objections to alleged inaccuracies in the minutes of a recent meeting of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), use of two link canals by Punjab in times of water shortages and the government’s overall plan for construction of mega dams, it is learnt.

The objections have been conveyed to the federal government in writing with formal approval of the Sindh chief minister as provincial input to an inter-provincial committee led by water and power secretary Ashfaq Mehmood, a Sindh government official told Dawn.

The committee was constituted by the CDWP in October to finalise an action plan for the construction of three big dams – Kalabagh, Akhori and Diamer-Bhasha – by the year 2016.

According to the official, the Sindh government's report apparently calls into question the feasibility of the large dams, a point that had originally triggered the appointment of two committees, parliamentary and technical, a few years ago as part of President General Pervez Musharraf's efforts to pave the way for the construction of dams.

The Sindh government has claimed that the minutes of the CDWP meeting had not been correctly recorded in so far as the submission of the report to the CDWP or Ecnec was concerned. It said the CDWP had decided that the committee would submit its report back to the CDWP (and not to the Ecnec as stated in the minutes).

It would then be deliberated upon by the CDWP before being referred to the Ecnec which was in violation of the original decision and should be corrected. Sindh demanded that the Ashfaq Committee should submit its report to the CDWP for consideration.Sindh’s second objection pertains to water withdrawals through Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Punjnad link canals in times of shortages.

It said the two canals were linked, and flood canals could be used only in case of surplus water. Punjab is drawing water from these two canals even when there are shortages.

Sindh has also objected to the filling of Mangla dam in the early part of Kharif when higher quantities of water is needed, and call for resolving these issues as part of the ongoing exercise.

Sindh's another objection pertains to the economic benefits of and availability of water for the construction of large dams and takes cue from contents of the report of the technical committee on water resources led by Mr A.G.N. Abbasi.

It says there is no surplus water for new storages and hence there is no need to waste time and money on the construction of big dams.

Commenting on Wapda's position that surplus water was available on average annual basis, it says it is sufficient only for meeting the requirement of existing dams.

The Sindh government has also raised questions over the left and right bank canals of the Kalabagh dam although Wapda has stated time and again that the Kalabagh design does not envisage any canals.

The inter-provincial committee, led by federal secretary Ashfaq Mehmood, will forward Sindh government's views to Wapda for response and discuss them with the provinces at the committee level.

Mr Mehmood is currently on Haj leave, and another senior official at the ministry said nobody else was authorised to comment on the subject.