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The World Bank has bound the government to approve National Water policy (NWP) within one month and establish Water Policy Cell in the Water and Power Ministry for extending technical support for the proposed National Water Council (NWC), it is learnt. "The water and Power Ministry has shared the draft policy with the World Bank, and has also agreed to show the final draft once it is prepared for submission to the cabinet", an official quoted the Bank in one of its comments recently submitted to the finance ministry.
The World Bank made it mandatory that the water and power ministry would notify the NWC and the PWC (with core funding for next fiscal year) soon after the NWP is approved by the cabinet.
The Bank observed that progress was to be made in two important aspects of the irrigation water management, ie the strengthening of Indus Water River System Authority (Irsa) and the development of a Drainage Master Plan (DMP) for the country.
It has also discussed the problems being faced by Irsa to implement the Water Accord among the provinces, saying that improvement in Irsa's capacity was necessary so that it could better perform its functions to implement the Water Accord of 1991, the official maintained.
Irsa, the official said, has submitted its improvement plans and proposals (PC-II) for review of the water and power ministry, which includes enhancement and strengthening of technical staff of the regulator, including training, acquiring equipment to better monitor and forecast the Indus flows. This also includes technical studies to facilitate its operations and the construction of Irsa's headquarter building which was being reviewed by its parent ministry.
In the meantime, Irsa has taken actions that would make the telemetry system fully operational and inter-provincial water distribution more transparent, the World Bank further observed.
The government had also prepared a draft of Drainage Master Plan that was reviewed by the panel of experts in September last, which recommended improvements in various parts of the report.
The experts also suggested the preparation of drainage development and water management plans for the Kotri Left Bank drainage basin and the Chaj drainage basin in parallel with the implementation of the above recommendations. The final draft is expected to be available in October after the incorporation of experts' recommendations.
The World Bank was of the opinion that Pakistan was facing major water-related issues that have serious social, economic and environmental implications. In the domain of irrigated agriculture, these include low efficiency of water use, environmental sustainability, large areas water-logged, saline with low crop yields, depleting ground water resources both in terms of quantity and quality, and lack of Drainage Accord amongst the provinces.
It also observed that environmental water flow requirements for the Indus delta need to be protected, adding that competition and disputes among the riparian provinces warrant strengthening of Irsa.
The water and power ministry has asked the finance ministry to approve $1 million from the public sector capacity building project to strengthen Irsa, and would also seek technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support Water Policy Cell.
Sources said last week, the finance ministry had held a meeting with the ministry concerned, seeking clarifications for not achieving the agreed targets set with the World Bank. It also directed the officials who attended the meeting to meet the deadlines for different actions and conveyed to the World Bank to avoid further embarrassment.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005

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