LAHORE, Aug 7: Speakers at a meeting on Thursday stressed the need for an inter-provincial agreement before developing any national strategy on water.
They also highlighted the importance of considering Sindh’s point of view to build trust among the provinces.
The meeting was arranged to review the policy paper on water prepared by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency, here on Wednesday.
The participants noted that the major contention on the water issue remained between the Punjab and Sindh. “Deep-seated conflicts and mistrust engulf the issue with serious contentions on the subject of the average water availability per year, distribution of water, and its development and conservation perspectives and strategies.”
The PILDAT developed a draft briefing paper with the technical help of the Associated Consulting Engineers, a private engineering consulting firm known for its experience with water-related projects and strategies.
Punjab representative Shah Mahmood Qureshi said according to the Water Accord ‘91, all provinces agreed to build new storages to meet the growing needs of the country. The accord, however, did not specify any inter-provincial agreement on the construction of a reservoir.
Abrar Kazi, representing Sindh, believed that as far as the dams’ construction was concerned, the provinces were not against it as long as these were constructed only for generating electricity. However, with the irrigation aspect added to the dams, Sindh feared that an additional dam on the Indus would be used by the Punjab to appropriate more water for itself.
Emphasis on conservation should be placed by enhancing water use efficiency through lining of canals and water courses and improving institutional management of water distribution. The water experts argued that lining of canals in Sindh was not possible unless the farmers forgo a crop. “People disrupt the process whenever lining work starts here.”
The participants agreed that the federal government should allocate more funds for lining of canal in Sindh, which should be undertaken by the provincial agencies in the suitable seasons.
DESILTING TARBELA: According to the participants, instead of building dams, measures should be taken to enhance the capacity of Tarbela to reduce sediment flow into the reservoir. The experts argued that some measures had been taken to arrest the growth of sediment flow into Tarbela, however, complete desilting would not be economically feasible.
Shahnawaz Khan, a former chairman of Wapda, argued that the reservoirs started dying the day they were built, and there was a need to build new ones. The participants maintained that a study should be commissioned by international consultants to draw a feasibility plan of desilting Tarbela.
CARRY-OVER DAMS: Sindh disputes Wapda’s average annual flow of 137.27 million acre feet (MAF) in the Indus to justify the Kalabagh dam, and counters with the international practice of using “four out of five” years’ average flow.
Regarding this, the water experts said there were no set international practises. There were examples of dams which took 10 to 11 years to fill.
It was also discussed that the concept of the carry-over dams like Aswan in Egypt should be used instead of mere storage. Since the Kalabagh is unacceptable to Sindh, a dam upstream Tarbela can be built for which a site near Skardu is identified.
The water experts, however, explained that building a dam in Skardu would require moving the entire population, and due to environmental reasons, loans and aid would not be available for undertaking this project.
DISTRIBUTION OF WATER: Mr Kazi argued that Sindh hated that unlike the agreed portion of the Punjab in the Indus Water Accord of 1991, Punjab kept more water in the water shortage years.
Mr Qureshi explained that the Indus Water Accord of 1991 calculated portions of water not on the basis of actual use then which stood at 105 MAF, but at 117 MAF, considering that development was necessary through construction of storage dams.
EFFICIENT WATER USE: According to Mr Kazi, the Indus is the only source of water in Sindh for irrigation or drinking unlike the Punjab and the NWFP, which received considerable rains in monsoon. While the Punjab has a large reservoir of sweet water, subsoil water in Sindh is saline. The water of the river Indus is, therefore, the question of life and death for Sindh.
The officials agreed that a sensitive federal ear was required for the Sindh’s issues, and there was also need for putting in place efficient on-farm water management practices in the country.
WATER ESCAPAGE BELOW KOTRI: It was also discussed that there was a need for certain minimum escapage of water to sea below Kotri in order to maintain the ecological balance of the mangrove forests. This escapage should not be referred to as waste because it was offensive to Sindh.
According to the Indus Water Accord of 1991, disagreements existed on the minimum need of escapage. The committee agreed that the study, which was to be commissioned according to the 1991 Accord to ascertain minimum escapage, should be immediately undertaken through international consultants.
LACK OF TRUST: The officials highlighted the major contention between the Punjab and Sindh. The point of view of Sindh was forcefully presented by Abrar Kazi, politician from Sindh and an expert on the water issue, and Ilahi Bakhsh Soomro, former speaker of the National Assembly, belonging to Sindh.
Punjab was represented by MNA Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was active in reaching the Indus Water Accord of 1991, presented some useful suggestions into the making of the Indus Water Accord of 1991.
In order to establish trust, Mr Kazi and Mr Soomro said it was necessary that Thal Canal should be constructed only after inter-provincial agreement on the issue.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION MECHANISMS: The committee agreed that water was a subject full of conflicts, but the discussions revealed that the issue could be resolved.
The 1973 Constitution had provided an inter-provincial conflict resolution mechanism in the shape of the Council of Common Interests. The CCI should not be there to be used on the personal whims of the rulers. If these channels are used effectively, there is no way the country needs extra conflict resolution mechanisms.