HYDERABAD: The Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) has rejected the Jalalpur Canal project, citing serious technical discrepancies, a lack of constitutional validity and the oversight of critical environmental factors.
The project was rejected during a meeting chaired by SAB President Mahmood Nawaz Shah on Monday.
Detailing the grounds for rejection, the SAB highlighted that Sindh’s formal objections to the project remain pending before the Council of Common Interest (CCI), the country’s highest constitutional forum. The board further noted that the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) arbitrarily issued a water availability certificate for the canal despite a chronic shortage in the overall system.
The SAB questioned how water could be allocated for the 116-kilometre Jalalpur Canal — designed to irrigate 172,000 acres of land — when existing canal systems are already suffering severe deficits under the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991.
The board stated that Irsa failed to specify the actual source of water for the canal when issuing its availability certificate. It added that while proponents suggest water will be drawn from the Rasool Barrage, the barrage already operates under its own designated command area. This arrangement, the SAB warned, would result in the unfair diversion of water from the Indus River, worsening the plight of downstream farming communities, populations, and ecosystems.
The board also criticised Irsa for ignoring the fundamental principle of equitable water distribution, as well as the mounting threats of climate change and environmental degradation caused by reduced downstream flows.
Highlighting that 95 per cent of available water is currently consumed by agriculture, the SAB cautioned that this heavy utilisation is placing acute stress on drinking water resources downstream. It stressed the urgent need to overhaul national water strategy, emphasizing that no additional water exists to expand canal-fed cultivation.
The policy focus, the SAB argued, should instead shift toward enhancing crop water productivity, which currently stands at just 0.133 kg per cubic metre of water — among the lowest in the world and the region.
The board pointed out that the Rs85 billion expended on the Jalalpur Canal could instead have transitioned over 500,000 acres of land to high-efficiency irrigation systems, while simultaneously saving enough water to cultivate an additional 150,000 acres. Cumulatively, 650,000 acres could be irrigated without requiring any additional water allocations.
In addition to water conservation, high-efficiency systems would improve crop yields and quality, fostering climate resilience.
The meeting was attended by Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani, Syed Nadeem Shah, Dr Bashir Nizamani, Malook Nizamani, Aslam Mari, Imran Bozdar, Taha Memon and others.
Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2026
