ISLAMABAD, July 21: The dispute between the Punjab and Sindh over the proposed study on water escapages downstream Kotri is expected to be referred to the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee, a senior official said on Monday.

The official said that a meeting of the representatives of the four provinces on Monday failed to agree on a joint terms of reference of the proposed study.

The meeting, presided over by chief engineer of the Engineering Advisory Organisation I.B. Shaikh, was attended by chairman Indus River System Authority Nasar Ali Rajput, irrigation secretaries of the Punjab and Sindh and representatives of the NWFP and Balochistan.

The official said that the two provinces stuck to their positions and the meeting decided to forward the matter to the water and power ministry with the recommendation to refer the dispute to a higher forum for resolution.

Sources said that Sindh’s irrigation secretary had demanded that issues like environmental impact, drinking water needs and livestock requirements should also be included in the TOR of the proposed study in addition to the sea intrusion.

He informed the meeting that former secretary power Mirza Hamid Hassan had decided last year that both the provinces should prepare separate TORs in this regard and if needed two separate studies would be conducted.

The Punjab irrigation department, on the other hand, insisted that the scope of the study should be limited only to the question of sea intrusion. It demanded that if the environmental issues, drinking and livestock requirements were to be studied, it should be on all-Pakistan basis and not be limited to downstream Kotri.

Representatives of Balochistan and the NWFP preferred to stay on the sidelines, saying that they had no objection to the study.

However, Balochistan suggested that some foreign firm should be engaged to conduct the study instead of local consultants to avoid controversy over the results of the study.

Similarly, NWFP proposed that it should be agreed before conducting the study that it would not affect the ratio of provincial water shares under the 1991 water accord.

Officials confirmed that quotations that were being sought from the bidders for the study have been delayed indefinitely because of the row between the two provinces.