ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Water Resources Nawab Yousaf Talpur has complained to Prime Minister Imran Khan over alleged violations of the 1991 water apportionment accord, with a request to intervene to “ensure the just distribution of water, as already unanimously agreed upon by all the provinces”.

In a letter, Nawab Talpur of Sindh said his note of dissent was necessitated against the backdrop of the current water shortage in Sindh and Balochistan in the late Kharif season 2021 but had larger and more long-term implications.

He alleged that the distribution pattern worked out in the Irsa Advisory Committee meeting for cropping season 2021 had been made on “most controversial three-tier formula” and the operation of the link canals and filling of Mangla dam with link canals being operated during the entire Kharif 2021 season, particularly during shortage periods, were in complete violation of the agreement.

“The distribution deviates from the provisions of the Water Accord 1991,” he said.

Mr Talpur said that while the water apportionment accord had been signed by the chief ministers and representatives of the four provinces and ratified by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in March 1991, the system-wise allocation had been worked out separately to comply with the provisions of paragraph 14(a) of the accord.

Yousaf Talpur alleges the distribution pattern worked out by Irsa committee was made on ‘controversial three-tier formula’

He said that under the accord, apportionment of water was made under para 2 of the agreement, while para 14(a) required the provinces to work out “the system-wise allocation on ten daily basis” equalising to the para 2. Para 14(b) required that “these ten daily uses would be adjusted pro-rata to correspond to the indicated seasonal allocations of the different canal systems and would form the basis for sharing shortages and surpluses on all Pakistan basis”.

Mr Talpur said that Irsa had surpassed its mandate envisaged under the accord and started distribution contrary to the accord and devised its own formulas despite the objection raised by Sindh over the distribution made by Irsa three-tier formula, being the most controversial arrangement.

He said that Irsa had been founded on May 22, 1993, and it began tampering with the water distribution accord barely one year after its establishment.

He said that a meeting on May 2, 1994, of the provincial committee of ministers had been convened in which a new formula had been proposed to distribute water based on average system usage from 1977 to 1982 from figures furnished by Wapda.

In response to widespread protests in Sindh, the Ministry of Water revoked this unjustifiable water distribution, but Irsa continued to practice unlawfully based on the 1994 formula until November 12, 2001, when the Chief Executive of Pakistan and the law division sternly revoked this practice.

After being thwarted, Irsa pulled another devilish trick and introduced a new three-tier formula based on a working paper prepared by the Punjab Irrigation Department and forwarded it to the chairman of Irsa on January 22, 2002, containing the three-tier formula.

It was circulated the same day by the chief engineer of Irsa among all provinces. Sindh objected and opposed the draft paper.

Moreover, Sindh fought vehemently against the three-tier formula, but Irsa won a majority vote against Sindh by manipulating other provinces to secure their water allocation as per WAA-1991 and exempting the provinces of KP and Balochistan from sharing shortage. The three-tier formula presented by the member of Punjab in Irsa was instantly approved, while two other provinces did not object because the sole loss was in Sindh’s portion.

Sindh has been protesting the three-tier formula for the past 18 years, but Irsa has ignored it and has taken no action and thereby demonstrating that Irsa solely supports the illegal formula against Sindh.

Mr Talpur asked the prime minister to prevail upon the federal entities to take effective steps to ensure that Irsa operated strictly within the scope of the provisions of water apportionment accord.

He said that there was no justification for transfer of water to the lower tributary areas through Taunsa-Punjnad and Chashma-Jhelum Link canals during Kharif season.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2021