ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Mueen Wattoo submitted details of development of six new canals over the Indus River under the Green Pakistan Initiative to the National Assembly on Monday.
In a written reply to a question of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Syed Naveed Qamar to the National Assembly, the minister said while giving details that two canals each would be constructed in Sindh and Punjab while one canal each would be developed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan.
About the details of approval status of canals in Sindh, the minister said that “Rainee Canal” would be constructed in Sindh while Indus River System Authority (IRSA) had issued water availability certificate on 03-09-2002 and Phase-I of the canal was completed by Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in 2014 at a cost of Rs17.886 billion and handed over to government of Sindh in 2022.
He said that during a consultative meeting held in Ministry of Water Resources on 12-02-2024, government of Sindh declined proposal for execution of Phase-II of the project. About the second canal, the “Thar Canal”, he said that the WAPDA has submitted a PC-I, costing Rs212 billion. He said that Sindh government has yet to apply to IRSA for grant of water availability certificate. He said that this project is still unapproved.
About the canals in Punjab, the minister said that the IRSA had issued water availability certificate of “Greater Thal Canal (GTC)” on 08-05-2002 while Phase-I of the GTC has already been completed by WAPDA in 2008 at a cost of Rs10.17 billion and handed over to government of Punjab in 2010. He said that sponsoring and executing agency of Phase-II of the project is government of Punjab. He said that Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in a meeting held on 07-02-2024 approved PC-I of Phase-II of the project subject to approval by the Council of Common Interests (CCI). He said that government of Sindh has submitted a summary in CCI on 27-11-2024 with submission that implementation of GTC (Phase-II) may be stopped.
About the second canal, the minister said that IRSA has issued water availability certificate of “Smaller Cholistan Canal” on 25-01-2024. “This project is being sponsored and executed by the government of Punjab. PC-I of this project was recommended by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) to the ECNEC on 20-09-2024 at an estimated cost of Rs225.34 billion. This PC-I has yet not been considered by the ECNEC. Government of Sindh has submitted a summary to the CCI on 15-11-2024 with request to nullify water viability certificate issued by IRSA for this project.”
About the canal in KPK, the minister said that IRSA had issued water availability certificate of “Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) Lift-cum-Gravity (L&G)” project on 04-04-2005. He said that PC-I of the project was approved by ECNEC on 07-10-2022 at cost of Rs189.61 billion. He said that project is under award process. He said that Rs341 million have been released to the project up to March 2025.
About the details of canal in Balochistan, he said that IRSA had issued water availability certificate of “Kachhi Canal” on 04-10-2003. He said that Phase-I (part-A) for irrigation of 72,000 acres of land was completed in 2017, which was subsequently damage in floods 2022. He said that releases to this project up to March 2025 are Rs80.203 billion. He said that restoration of flood damages has been made by WAPDA up to extent of 500 cusec for irrigation of developed command area. He said that Kachhi Canal Phase-I (Part-B) for irrigation of 30,000 acres of land was approved by the ECNEC on 16-03-2020 at an estimated cost of Rs22.921 billion. He said that WAPDA has prepared PC-I of Phase-II of the project, costing Rs70 billion, for irrigation of 267,000 acres of land. He said that the project has yet not been approved by the competent forum.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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