HYDERABAD: Experts and irrigation officers at a stakeholders’ consultation workshop held in a local hotel here on Thursday discussed proposed legislation for an integrated system covering all water-related authorities in Sindh.

The workshop was organised jointly by the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) and the provincial planning & development board.

The law is to be enacted under World Bank’s multibillion dollar Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation (SWAT) Project and would become a unified law having components of two existing laws dealing with irrigation sector and Sida, according to Sida announcement.

Sida Managing Director Pritam Das told the participants that desired legislation was missing in Sindh and after its enactment, the law would integrate existing laws to overcome all weaknesses in the water sector.

The law will integrate irrigation, livestock, fisheries, KWSC and other water-related authorities in Sindh; strictly check disposal of harmful wastewater in river, canals

He said that the draft concept of the law was shared by international law consultants with the irrigation department.

There are two laws that already exist – the Sindh Irrigation Act, 1879; and the Sindh Water Management Ordinance, 2022. He pointed out that half of Sindh’s irrigation channels were with the irrigation department and a few others with Sida. He said penalties in the existing laws were insufficient which were creating problems for officers.

Approval of direct outlets (DOs) should be checked under the new law, besides matters relating to climate change, he said.

Pritam Das observed that usually irrigation officers remained busy in courts with the result that management of water was affected.

Chief Engineer Mansoor Memon called for legislation that was in line with ground realities. He said that consultation with stakeholders should be given preference. Government should then ensure its implementation, he added.

Dr Altaf Siyal, a water analyst, said that new water law was being discussed but representation in the proposed directorate was not given to farmers under Sindh’s water policy and also on the basis of gender. He stressed that they should be given representation. He said the official figures put the number of watercourses in Sindh at around 44,000 but the actual number was higher.

An international water law consultant, Dr Stephen Hudson, underscored the need for upgrading water-related laws in Pakistan. He said that for the proposed legislation, an international forum was formed in Sindh which had started its consultation with stakeholders today. It’s aimed at ensuring efficient and sustainable legislation. He further said that under the new law, every water user would be member of the ‘water user association’ contrary to the membership of landowner alone as envisaged in the existing law.

He said a committee comprising technical officers would be formed for running every canal’s management and addressing its issues of technical nature.

He said that a ‘Sindh integrated water resource management department’ would be established. Under this law, all departments relating to water would be integrated, besides irrigation department, like agriculture, fisheries, livestock and Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation.

He said that under the law, quality would be assessed, be it groundwater or surface water.

“No one would be allowed to dispose of wastewater into main canals or Indus river,” he said, adding that permission for wastewater disposal would be given provided that such disposal would not undermine aquatic life, environment or quality of water body.

Superintending Engineer Mohammad Ali Zardari, social development specialist of an irrigation / agriculture project Ghulam Mustafa Ujjan and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2024