LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has slammed what it termed ‘unilateral’ and ‘unconstitutional’ decision of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) to approve construction of Greater Thal Canal Phase-II, and said the Asian Development Bank will be urged not to release funds for the ‘controversial’ project.

Khuhro said in a press statement issued here on Thursday that a letter would be written the ADB which had been approached by federal government to seek funds for the project. The bank would be asked not to release funds till the project was cleared by the Council of Common Interests (CCI), he said.

“We have serious reservations over the way the ‘controversial’ project has been approved,” he said.

He explained that he attended Ecnec meeting on Wednesday through video link. After the committee decided to send the issues of three-tier formula and just distribution of water to the CCI, the video link abruptly dropped during which the committee gave the ‘unconstitutional’ approval’ for the controversial project, he said.

He said that Ecnec was not empowered to take a decision on the construction of the canal. It would be conveyed to the ADB that the project would create hatred among provinces, therefore, the bank should not extend funds to the centre for the canal’s construction, he said.

He demanded Sindh’s water share in accordance with Para-II of Water Apportionment Accord and stressed that there was no mention of the ‘three-tier’ formula both in the constitution and Irsa itself. Ecnec should not be tilted to one province, he said.

He said that despite the fact that centre was crying about shortage of water still it was constructing the canal that had a capacity of 8,500 cusecs though it was initially designed to carry 5,000 cusecs.

He said that Sindh would be ruined if Greater Thall Canal Phase-II had been constructed without putting in place telemetry system and releasing mandatory volume of water downstream Kotri barrage.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2022