HYDERABAD, March 7: The Sindh Water Committee on Thursday urged the officials of Punjab, who were advocating the construction of Thal canal, to rise above petty selfishness and abandon water projects harmful to Sindh.

This was resolved in an urgent meeting of the SWC, presided over by Rasool Bux Palejo, chief of the Awami Tehrik and president of the SWC.

While congratulating members of the Sindh Assembly for adopting a unanimous resolution against construction of what it termed “illegal and unconstitutional” Greater Thal Canal, the meeting deliberated upon Wapda’s refusal to stop the work on the canal besides taking notice of statements of the officials of the Punjab government.

Commending the members of the Sindh Assembly, the meeting expressed the hope that they would continue their struggle against the anti-Sindh designs of the central and Punjab governments as well as Wapda until the construction of the canal was stopped and the dug-up portion refilled.

It warned the officials of the Punjab government against issuing statements — which it viewed were harming the country’s integrity — regarding the continuation of the work on the canal and saying that more dams would be built on the River Indus.

The meeting urged the officials of Punjab to rise above selfishness and shortsightedness and pointed out that the Greater Thal canal was being built despite acute shortage of water in Sindh.

It said that the agricultural economy of the province, especially lower Sindh, had been ruined by persistent shortage of irrigation water causing social and economic hardships to a large segment of population.

Thal canal, the meeting observed, was being constructed to take more water away from the Indus System, depriving the province of its rightful share of water, for “the benefit of a few generals.”

It resolved to organise a ‘Stop Construction of Greater Thal Canal Conference’ on April 13 and invite MPAs, who had signed the resolution against the contruction of the Thal canal, in addition to other political leaders.