Currently, several districts in Sindh province, remote rural areas in particular, are facing a severe drought-like situation. The situation is reported to be alarming in Kachho, Kohistan, Thano Bola Khan, Jacobabad, Kashmor, Kandh kot, Rohri, where water-thirsty people have to travel miles and miles in search of water and can only find polluted water to quench their thirst. Livestock, wild animals and birds are also reportedly dying due to the drought like situations in the remote areas.
Lamentably, the present rulers, have not taken necessary steps to tackle this situation in the said areas. Since all these ease and luxury loving, prodigal elected representatives never visit their constituencies; hence, they do not know the miseries of their voters. Countless people are driven to big cities and towns because this drought-like situation is consuming the rural economy.
In this worsening scenario, the provincial rulers are requested to help farmers save their crops, livestock, animal and birds by taking the requisite actions and making necessary provisions for them. The rulers must make proper and judicious investment in the agriculture and irrigation departments; develop and repair canals, water channels, water courses, build water reservoirs that ensure the availability of water in Sindh in all weathers and seasons, both, for purposes of drinking purpose and irrigation.
HASHIM ABRO
Islamabad
There are no sites for large reservoirs in Sindh, however a reservoir does not have to be in Sindh to provide water to Sindh, Tarbela dam is already providing Sindh with an additional 7 million acre feet, Kalabagh dam will provide another 2.2 maf water to Sindh, with IRSA controlling river water distribution and with engineers from Sindh monitoring the flow in Punjab's canals, the fear that Punjab will deprive Sindh of its due share because the dam is in Punjab is completely unfounded, neither will Kalabagh dam impinge on the normal flow of the Indus as it will store only the surplus water available during the flood season, It is for the writers like Hashim Abro to tell the people of Sindh that Kalabagh dam will be in their own interest, also apprise them of the serious dangers if a mega reservoir is not built soon.
Subhanullah..a person like Khurshid Anwer is posing himself as well wisher of Sindh and bent upon to prove the people of Sindh are enemies of their own province by opposing construction of controversial Kalabagh dam in Punjab. What a joke!
He says with the construction of Tarbela dam, Sindh is getting more water and with the proposed construction of KBD in Punjab, Sindh would get 2.2 maf still more water but what Punjab got additional water from Tarbela and would get from KBD, he is mysteriously silent. He is painting one side picture in favour of Punjab. A person who is giving explanation of Water Accord – 1991 not to release water downstream Kotri after passing 22 years, has become well wisher of Sindh.
Indus delta is on verge of death. 2.6 million Muslims and Pakistani Sindhis are dying due to thirst and hunger downstream Kotri due to intransigence of Punjab for not releasing 10 MAF water, he is misguiding the people. Had they been Punjabis, the attitude of people like Khurshid Anwer would have been different.
There is need to investigate that those who wants to construct KBD in Punjab by bring forcible consensus are real enemies of Pakistan as they want to weaken the country.
A high level inquiry must be made who is supporting the. Punjab govt or corrupt and notorious WAPDA?
Punjab is openly usurping Sindh's share of water daringly for the last many decades. Due to intransigence of might Punjab, Indus delta in Sindh is on verge of death as Punjab is not allowing to implement Water Accord – 1991 by releasing limited water downstream Kotri as agreed in Water Accord. They have turned Sindh into Karbla practically and still they are claiming, the are only good Muslims. Very sad.
I am writing about the benefits Sindh will get from Kalabagh dam because the objection to the dam is from Sindh and not from Punjab. This is being done to counter the misinformation being spread by the opponents of Kalabagh dam. In any case it is common knowledge that Punjab will get the same amount as Sindh. Under the Water Accord Punjab agreed to a reduction in its share in order to increase Sindh’s share in all future dams. Equal share for both despite the vast difference in population and in the area under cultivation. Mr Sial keeps blaming Punjab for not allowing water to flow below Kotri. It is IRSA which controls river water distribution and not Punjab and Sindh has a higher representation in IRSA. If Punjab was in charge would it be getting 155,000 cusecs to Sindh’s 184,000 cusecs despite having 70% of the total crop area of the country to Sindh’s 20%. Would IRSA be shutting down the Chasham-Jhelum link canal every so often despite protests from south Punjab. Mr Sial keeps repeating his charges without trying to understand the situation.
one third of Sindh has already been turned into desert from Kotri to Arabian Sea as result of Water Accord – 1991 and now Punjab wants to convert from Kotri to Guddu into desert and rest would do the controversial proposed Akhori dam to be built in Punjab
Let have a judicial commission comprising four ex-judges of supreme Court each from one province to investigate that Punjab has stolen Sindh's share of water in the past frequently or not?
Your sympathy towards Sindhis is like Israel's towards Palestanians.
The Water Accord took away river water distribution from Wapda and handed it over to a federal body IRSA which has a higher representation from Sindh, IRSA is giving more water to Sindh and less to Punjab, and Mr Sial says the Water Accord is turning Sindh into a desert. What is making the whole country a desert is that there is a severe shortage of water in the country. The population has doubled while the supply is static. IRSA does not have enough water to meet the irrigation requirements of the provinces and to spare the necessary amount for the Indus delta. The last increase in supplies was made 38 years ago when Tarbela dam increased canal supplies by 25%. Sindh got 7 maf additional water but north Punjab did not get any. The water that south Punjab is getting through CJ and TP link canals is considered to be theft of Sindh’s water by Punjab. It is not understood that south Punjab is taking its share from the water stored in Tarbela dam. Tarbela dam was built for the whole country and not only for Sindh. It needs to be understood that dams increase supplies by storing surplus water during the flood season, and increase river flow rather than decrease it. As long as we keep opposing Kalabagh and Akhori dams just because they are in Punjab, the whole country including Sindh will suffer. I talk about the benefits to Sindh from Kalabagh dam because it is only when Sindh agrees to its construction that Punjab will also get those benefits. Kalabagh dam is a win-win position for both Punjab and Sindh, if only we can see this before it is too late.
You are continuously spreading hatred against Sindh by spreading disinformation. Indus delta is in Pakistan and as agreed earlier limited water is to be released downstream Kotri in any case. You say IRSA is distributing the water but it is on record Punjab has opposed the release of water downstream Kotri despite it was agreed in Water Accord – 1991.
The 2.6 million people living in area downstream Kotri and Arabian sea in Sindh are Pakistanis and Muslims. People like you want to kill them in thirst and hunger by giving wrong explanation of Water Accord – 1991 because they are Sindhis. Had they been in Punjab, your attitude would have been changed. This is also humanitarian question, do not show Punjabi chauvinism.
Please stop posing yourself as only well wisher of Sindh and proving five crores of people of Sindh as enemies of their own province. What a joke.
We have already bad experience of ruination of Indus delta by not releasing water downstream Kotri. Do not give us lollipop of controversial Kalabagh dam and Akhori dam.
We are fully aware of your intentions. Some time you are creating hatred against Sindhis that KBD would have stopped the gigantic floods. If it is so why floods are coming in Australia, China, USA, Philippines, Sri Lanka, India etc.,
Mr Sial is either unwilling to or is incapable of listening to reason. Punjab with one vote in IRSA against three for Sindh is in no position to dictate terms to IRSA. If the Sindh, Federal and Balochistan representatives want to allocate 10 maf to flow below Kotri there is nothing to stop them. But they don’t have the water. Water surplus to irrigation requirements is available only during the three flood months when even more than 10 maf flows below Kotri. During the remaining nine months even the irrigation requirements of the provinces cannot be met. The total available for irrigation has been 104 maf/year for the last many years while the demand has been increasing every year. How will the supplies ever increase if we keep opposing new dams. Does Mr Sial have a proposal of how to increase the availability of water. The world over dams are built primarily for irrigation and power generation and also to moderate the high flood peaks. Dams can never completely stop heavy floods, they can only minimize the flood damage. I will leave it to the Editor to see whether I have anywhere tried to create hatred against Sindh or is it Mr Sial who is suffering from Punjab phobia
Sindh never enjoyed three votes in IRSA, you are continuously telling lies and creating misunderstanding. If Sindh has double vote, the same was with Punjab in the past for nine years but you did not mention it. Instead you were busy in creating hatred against Sindh on one or the another pretext.
When it was agreed to save Indus delta by releasing water in Water Accord – 1991, why Punjab has opposed it. You are looking to Balochistan, why not Punjab vote for release of water downstream Kotri.
In fact modern Yazidhs of Pakistan are opposing release of already agreed water downstream Kotri as they wanted to see 2.6 million people to die as they are in Muslims and Pakistani Sindhis but not Punjabis.
I wonder, such people have right to call themselves Muslims and well-wishers of Pakistan. They are real enemies of humanity and Pakistan who are suffering from chauvinism and they want to see 2.6 million people to be killed in thirst and hunger because they are Muslims and Pakistani Sindhis and not Punjabis.
You are retired person in 70s and this is month of Holy Ramzan, you must think for 2.6 million people who are also human beings.
You have destroyed Indus delta – sixth largest in the world because it was in Sindh. Still you people are not happy.
Mr Sial is repeating himself and dragging the debate down to a very low level. He keeps lying that an agreement was reached under the Water Accord of 1991 that 10 maf would be released below Kotri. This is quite wrong, I have explained the correct position many times and will not repeat it. Currently Sindh has three votes in IRSA and it can rectify the wrong, if any, done in the past. Why is it not doing so. Because there is not enough water to do so. Mr Sial avoids any mention of the main problem, shortage of water and what can be done about it. Let him answer some simple questions. Have not supplies of water for irrigation been static at 104 maf per year for the last many years. Has not the demand for water been increasing every year. Can we go on managing with the same amount of water even now. Should we not be thinking of increasing the supplies to meet the ever increasing demand. How can we increase the supplies. If Mr Sial answers these questions he will know why 10 maf is not being spared for the delta.
First of all you implement Water Accord – 1991 for releasing water downstream Kotri to save Indus delta and 2.6 million people in Sindh and then talk about new dams. 22 years is big time to wait for release of water as envisaged in Water Accord.
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