HYDERABAD, Dec: 1: The Sindh Water Committee (SWC) has demanded a just and permanent water sharing accord between all the provinces of Pakistan, especially between Sindh and Punjab.

Speaking at a news conference at the local press club on Sunday, the chairman of the SWC, Rasool Bux Palijo, called for shelving all water storage projects and said that emphasis should be shifted towards water conservation strategy.

He stressed the need for initiating studies to determine minimum water flow downstream Kotri barrage to check intrusion of sea water, which had degraded land in the coastal areas.

He criticised the statements of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali and federal minister for water and power Aftab Sherpao on the water issue, saying that their statements, published in the newspapers on Nov 26, had shocked the people of Sindh.

He said that the prime minister had said that he had not heard reports that Sindh was not getting water according to its quota.

Palijo said that neither the bureaucracy nor the Indus River System Authority, which had been rendered ineffective, would inform Jamali about the theft of Sindh’s share of water.

He said that the theft of its water share had ruined the agriculture and economy of Sindh.

Palijo informed the prime minister that under the international law of sharing water of a common river, the upper riparian had no right to build dams or to divert the waters of a common river to the detriment of the lower riparian.

Referring to the statement of Sherpao on preparation of a new hydel policy for development of water resources, Palijo said that Sindh was already suffering from the mindless plan, known as Vision 2005, which visualized useless and impracticable water storage projects.

The SWC chief urged the prime minister and the water and power minister to immediately stop the construction of illegal and unconstitutional greater Thal canal.

He demanded that “corrupt and inefficient Wapda” should be broken up at provincial level.

He stressed on the need for reducing the electricity tariff by 50 per cent, and called for winding up what he termed anti- people Sindh Irrigation Development Authority.

He urged the legislators from Sindh to fight for the rights of the province. He announced that the SWC will hold a water conference on Dec 29 in Hyderabad.