Senate body told: Kacha area’s dacoits involved in selling Sindh’s water shares

ISLAMABAD: The notorious dacoits in the Kacha area are involved in illegally selling Sindh’s water shares without any accountability, thereby depriving the province of its rightful allocation.

This information was revealed by Senator Poonjo Bheel of Pakistan Peoples Party, during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources, chaired by Senator Shahdat Awan.

The dacoits in Kacha have been a significant challenge for the provincial administration, engaging in kidnapping for ransom and the killing of policemen.

During the meeting, it was reported that a proposal for the appointment of a Vice Chairman for IRSA and the formation of an expert committee was rejected by the Committee.

It was also disclosed that the cost of the dam component of the Diamer Bhasha project has risen to Rs 650 billion, while the physical progress of the project stands at only 15.7 percent.

The Committee was informed that Mohmand Dam and the Dasu hydropower project are expected to be completed by 2025 and 2029, respectively. The cost of the Dasu project is Rs 510 billion.

The Committee was briefed on the installation of a telemetry system at various points along rivers, which is intended to reduce water wastage.

A heated debate occurred between Senator Humayun Mohmand and Senator Poonjo Bheel regarding Kalabagh Dam. Senator Mohmand inquired about the status of the Kalabagh Dam discussion from the previous meeting, which had upset Senator Bheel. Senator Bheel argued that items not on the agenda should not be discussed and stated that there could be no discussion on Kalabagh Dam at this time. However, Senator Mohmand insisted that understanding the real situation and sharing scientific research on the Kalabagh Dam was important.

The Committee also inquired whether Attabad Lake had been officially declared a dam. Secretary of Water Resources stated that a 54 MW power project is being initiated on the lake.

Senator Bheel commented that Sindh was prosperous before the creation of Pakistan, but now the farmers in Sindh are not receiving their due share of water, as the province’s share is being stolen. “If you ask the Centre or other provinces about water theft, no one is willing to accept responsibility,” he added. Secretary Water Resources informed the Committee that 10.5 million population lives in flood-prone areas.

The Committee was briefed on the working and performance of the Ministry and its attached departments. Secretary for the Ministry of Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, informed that the focus is on the development of the country’s water resources and six entities were assigned to the Ministry, namely WAPDA, IRSA, Federal Flood Commission, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), CEA, and Pakistan Commission for Indus Water (PCIW).

The Ministry has undertaken initiatives to increase the country’s water storage and the share of hydropower generation in the overall energy mix. As of now, there are six ongoing projects being financed by the Federal Government. These projects include Diamer Basha Dam, Mohmand Dam, Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme, NaiGaj Dam, Kachhi Canal Project, and Dasu Hydropower Project. The installed capacity of Diamer Basha Dam is 4500 MW and it will be completed in December 2029, while the installed capacity of Mohmand Dam is 800 MW and it will be completed in December 2025.

Moreover, the Committee was briefed on the working strength of the ministry. In this regard, the Secretary for the Ministry of Water Resources highlighted that the total sanctioned posts of the ministry are around 135, which entail 38 posts of Grade 17-22 and 97 posts of Grade 01-16. The total number of vacant posts is around 33. Efforts have been made to fill the vacancies but they remain vacant due to the unavailability of suitable candidates. The Committee recommended that the ministry ought to fill the vacancies in order to maximize the efficiency of the ministry.

While discussing performance, the Secretary for the Ministry of Water Resources stated that 18 projects worth around Rs 603.036 billion were completed in the last financial year. Of these, 15 were water projects and 3 were hydropower projects. These projects contributed around 2379 MW to the national grid.

In reply to a query concerning the demand for electricity, Syed Ali Murtaza apprised that the demand for electricity has seen a significant decline this year; however, the ministry is committed to the timely completion of ongoing projects so that the share of hydroelectric power can be increased in the overall energy mix.

Furthermore, Senator Shahadat Awan, Chairman of the Committee, stated that PCRWR has failed to submit its annual reports for the previous years. He recommended that PCRWR submit its last annual report before Parliament. In attendance were Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, Senator Dr Mohammad Humayun Mohmand, Senator Poonjo Bheel, Senator Hidayatullah Khan, Secretary for Ministry of Water Resources Syed Ali Murtaza and other senior officials from the concerned departments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024