ISLAMABAD, Sept 17: The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has protested against the Punjab government accusing it of violating the authority's decisions on distribution of water among the provinces.

In a letter to the Ministry of Water and Power, Irsa chairman Rahim Khan Zarkun urged the federal government to make the provincial government honour Irsa decisions, sources at the ministry told Dawn.

The Punjab government has already rejected the Irsa plan for water distribution for September, calling it 'unilateral and harmful'. The sources said the Irsa chief had also accused the Punjab government of drawing more water from the Chashma-Jhelum Link canal than it had been allowed to.

Irsa also told the federal government that the Punjab irrigation department had been running a media campaign against the water distribution authority. The sources said the letter urged the federal government to stop the Punjab government from scandalising the issue and start honouring Irsa decisions.

The sources said Irsa had reduced Punjab's water share from the C-J Link canal from 20,000 cusecs per day to 8,000 cusecs, a decision the Punjab government refused to implement.

The Punjab irrigation department, however, felt that Irsa was discriminating against the province by allowing a higher share of water to the Sindh province. In a letter sent to Irsa early this week, the Punjab irrigation department said the formula was different from the one agreed upon at the September 4 meeting chaired by the prime minister.

"If Irsa is allowed to go ahead with its plan, there will be no water for the Trimmu and Sutlej valleys, and the cotton crop on over three million acres will be affected," Punjab's secretary for irrigation said.