November 24, 2008	Monday	Ziqa'ad 25, 1429

LAHORE, Nov 23: An Indian team headed by its Indus Waters Commissioner will arrive in Pakistan on Nov 29 and visit Head Marala the following day in connection with Pakistan’s demand for compensation for the 200,000 acre feet shortfall in Chenab river water caused by the filling of Baglihar Dam this year.

This was stated by Pakistan’s Indus Waters Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah at a seminar at the press club on Sunday on threats to the country’s agriculture sector.

He said that under the Indus Basin Treaty, India could build dams for storing 2.85 million acre feet of water for power generation on the rivers entering Pakistan but it could not utilise it.

He said that the water shortfall, which was met from Mangla, had been experienced in Sialkot and Narowal for 10 to 12 days. He said that there was no danger of any further shortfall in the supply of water from Chenab.

A shortfall could, however, occur in Kabul river when Afghanistan would build a dam on it. He said that Pakistan should make judicious use of its water resources and bring 20 million acres of land under cultivation by utilising 19 to 20 million acre feet of its river water being wasted due to seepage.

Chairman of the Chief Minister’s Task Force for Agriculture Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada said that the Punjab government was taking necessary steps to revolutionise agriculture. It was providing subsidy on 10,000 tractors and seed graders.

The Bank of Punjab was offering agricultural loans at 8 per cent mark-up and Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan was paying subsidy on urea and DAP fertiliser, he added.