KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon on Sunday stated that the provincial government is gravely concerned about the water shortage in the province.
According to the minister’s statement, water scarcity at the Sindh barrages has intensified and the Kotri Barrage currently had a 72% shortage.
“After agriculture and drinking water, it is now feared that water supply to industries may be affected,” Memon said.
He claimed that the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) had failed to uphold its 1999 water provision agreement and that despite the authority’s three-tier formula having no legal status, IRSA had used it for many years to distribute water to provinces.
Memon maintained that the unequal three-tier formula came to the fore in a meeting of the ministerial committee in May 1994 but was declared null and void by then chief executive of Pakistan and the Ministry of Water and Power on October 23, 2000.
“The distribution of water in federal units is conducted under the three-tier formula, which is a clear violation of the water agreement,” he reiterated.
