ISLAMABAD, Aug 20: An amount of Rs1.5 billion has already been spent on the construction of the greater Thal canal project, Federal Minister for Water and Power Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao tells the National Assembly in a written reply submitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The federal minister also acknowledged that the Sindh Assembly had passed a resolution against the construction of the waterway, saying that the resolution had been sent to the Cabinet Division. A question in this regard was fielded by PPP MNA Naveed Qamar.

The minister, while responding to queries during the question-hour in a house devoid of the opposition, said that the greater Thal canal project would irrigate about 1.5345 million acres of cultivable command area in the public and private sectors.

The earthwork for the construction of main canal had been completed upto RD-64 while the earthwork between RD-64 and RD-112 was in progress with 15 per cent work having been completed.

Total expenditure incurred till June 30 on the project amounted to Rs1,468.454 million.

Mr Sherpao said that there had been drought conditions for the past three years and the water availability was less than the actual average system uses (AASU). The share of the greater Thal canal of 1.873 million acre-foot was earmarked in the 10 daily sharing under the accord approved by the Council of Common Interest on Sept 16, 1991. The same allocation was part and parcel of the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord.

He explained that in accordance with the government procedures, the project had been approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Feb 28, 2002, adding that the CCI was not a forum for the approval of development projects.

The minister also conceded that cracks had developed in certain panels of power channel in the Ghazi Barotha Project due to the contractor’s negligence, adding that defects had been rectified/repaired by the contractor at his own cost.