From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: The Sindh government has written to the federal government and urged to convene an immediate meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to address the acute water shortage in the province, media reported.
The letter stated that the water scarcity has made it impossible to cultivate crops during the upcoming sowing season. According to the Sindh government, the water shortage is a result of Punjab being allocated more water than its share, as per the Water Accord 1991. The province has also expressed its reservations over the certificate issued by IRSA for the Cholistan Canal project, terming it “illegal”. The Sindh government has demanded that the CCI meeting be convened immediately to resolve the issue of water distribution.
The province has requested the CCI to revoke the approval for the Cholistan project and suspend its implementation until a consensus is reached on water distribution.
Earlier, Sindh’s irrigation department issued a circular over imminent threat of water shortage and drought in Karachi and other parts of Sindh.
“The water reservoirs dropped to a dangerous level owing to lesser level of rainfall during the ongoing Rabi season,” the letter read.
The water level dropped to only 0.102-million-acre-feet in Tarbela and 0.226 MAF at Mangla reservoir. “The water in Tarbela and Mangla dams apprehended to come to dead point in four to five days,” according to the letter. “This water shortage, if continues, the scarcity could reach to over 50% in the beginning of Kharif season of crops”, the irrigation department apprehends.
Sindh Irrigation Department has emphasized for planning for a just distribution of available water.
“The impacts of drought emerging in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Thatta and Badin districts. While Dadu, Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Naushehro Feroz, Larkana, Jacobabad and Tharparkar districts also being affected,” according to the official letter.
Earlier, The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued a drought alert for Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab as the country’s rainfall dropped by up to 62 percent, media reported.
Despite recent rain spells that alleviated drought conditions in central and northern parts of the country, drought conditions are expected to persist in Sindh, southern Balochistan, and the lower eastern plains of Punjab.
The PMD stated that the average temperature in the lower half of the country was 2-3 degrees Celsius more than normal during the current month. Some areas in the southern region experienced consecutive dry days exceeding 200, intensifying the drought further.
