The Water Accord of 1991 does not say that an agreement was reached on an escapage of 10 maf below Kotri. All it says is that in case of its failure, further studies would be done. A foreign consultants study later determined 4.32 maf per annum as sufficient to check sea intrusion. It is quite wrong to unnecessarily keep insisting on 10 maf which is a big percentage of the total water available to the country for agriculture.
Only more dams can save the delta, not less dams. The Water Accord should be implemented at once. This will give Sindh an increased share in all future dams by reducing Punjabs share. Punjab agreed to bring Sindh at par as an incentive to develop consensus on Kalabagh dam. Sindh will be entitled to the increased share only after Kalabagah dam or any other dam is built and not before. It is an entirely another matter that IRSA is already giving Sindh more water than Punjab.
The Accord allocated 37, 37 & 14 percent share in all future dams respectively to Punjab, Sindh & KPK. North Punjab and KPK cannot utilise their shares without the left and right bank canals at Kalabagh dam. Does it make sense that the Accord would allocate shares and then not provide means for those shares to be utilized? It will be seen that full implementation of the Accord is not possible without building Kalabagh dam.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore