THE announcement of the Cholistan canal project under the Green Pakistan Initiative earlier this year pressed alarm bells across Sindh. While the federal and Punjab governments claim the project will convert barren land into fertile farms, the impli-cations for the lower riparian province cannot be ignored.

The Water Apportionment Accord of 1991 was designed to ensure equitable distribution of Indus water. Yet, with water shortages already crippling Sindh’s agriculture and urban supply, any further diversion upstream threatens to reduce Sindh’s legitimate share. Karachi, for instance, depends almost entirely on Indus water.

Farmers, fishermen and communities in lower Sindh are already struggling; another reduction in flow could prove disastrous. Equally troubling is the en-vironmental risk. The Indus Delta, once thriving, is now shrinking due to reduced freshwater flow. Further diversion will accelerate seawater intrusion, destroy mangroves, and undermine the livelihoods of thousands of families.

Despite constitutional guarantees, Sindh representatives, as they claim, were not meaningfully consulted before the project was approved. Such unilateral decision-making only deepens mistrust and interprovincial tensions.

Water is Pakistan’s most precious re-source, and its management must be based on fairness and ecological responsibility. If new projects are deemed necessary, they must be discussed at the relevant forums, and carried out with consensus.

Armina Mustafa
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2025