LAHORE: Non-maintenance by Wapda and silting up of the 170km Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) has reduced its capacity by 20pc, hurting tail-end farmers over 240,000 acres in Punjab.

The Punjab Irrigation Department has also written to the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), pointing out its procedural and practical slackness in maintaining the canal, which has jeopardised irrigation supplies to 240,000 acres in the DG Khan and Taunsa areas.

According to the officials of the Irrigation Department, out of total 170km canal route, 106km falls in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and 64km in Punjab.

According to a tripartite agreement (among chief engineer Chashma barrage, the KP and Punjab), Wapda is supposed to run operation and maintenance (O&M) of the canal whereas Punjab and the KP governments would share expenses (50pc each) for the 106km part falling in the KP.

The KP government would look after all tributaries falling in the canal. For the 64km tail part, Punjab would bear 100pc expense and also look after the flood channels that fall into the canal.

Canal’s capacity reduced by 20pc

Punjab, however, now accuses Wapda for failing to maintain the canal, which has resulted in reduction of its capacity from 4,879 cusecs to 4,000 cusecs – a loss of some 880 cusecs.

“The Punjab has a case here,” concedes an official of Indus River System Authority (Irsa), who did not want to be named because of provincial sensitivities of the issue.

He said the Punjab troubles are compounded by three factors. First, 20pc reduction directly translates into Punjab shortage because the farmers on the first part draw their share anyway. Second, the KP is exempted from national shortages and can draw as much water as it can which adds to the Punjab’s woes, worsening the shortages downstream. Third, the law and order is also controlled by the KP government on first 164 kilometers and farmers and anyone who can lay hands on canal water is at liberty to pump out as much water as it can. All these problems have made Punjab special victim of deteriorating conditions at the canal and the province is protesting at every available level, the Irsa official said.

Punjab thinks Wapda is not following the procedures agreed upon in the tripartite agreement for the canal maintenance, says one of its officials.

It was agreed that Wapda would submit maintenance plans and costs to the provincial governments every year, which, on their part, would vet them both and return to Wapda, along with money, for execution. “Unfortunately, Wapda has not been following the procedure and health of canal is deteriorating, creating massive problems for Punjab in the canal command area,” he accused.

The Wapda public relations wing officials were approached by this reporter for the authority’s version on the issue more than two weeks back, but they didn’t give their version despite repeated reminders.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2016