Punjab Water Council (PWC) has said that the Indus Basin Water Treaty 1960 guarantees alternate water supply to southern Punjab from the Indus river after giving away western mighty river Sutlej to India. "Under the Treaty between Pakistan and India, sponsored by the World Bank, two link canals Chashma-Jhelum (CJ) and Taunsa-Punjnad (TP) were built in late 60s to replenish water from Indus river into the barrages and canals in southern Punjab, PWC convenor Farooq Bajwa said here on Friday.
Talking to Business Recorder Bajwa said that the Punjab government has no right to compromise on the water share of the southern Punjab under any pretext or pressure. He referred to Article 4 sub-clause 4 of the 1960 water distribution treaty, Pakistan constructed CJ link canal (22,000 cusecs) and TP link (12,000 cusecs) with the assistance of the World Bank to remodel its irrigation after surrendering three western rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej to get exclusive right over Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers.
The annual average water inflow in river Indus is 85 MAF whereas the combined inflow of river Jhelum and Chenab is 26 MAF. Jhelum and Chenab feed the central districts of Punjab while Punjab water share from the river Indus is channelled to southern Punjab for irrigation and drinking purposes.
"If Indus River System Authority (Irsa) closes the CJ and TP link canals, even with the concurrence of the Punjab government, it would be violation of the international treaty and the agriculturists/farmers of southern Punjab would not accept the decision," he stated.
He said that the farmers of southern Punjab have already suffered from enormous financial losses due to low prices of paddy and damage to cotton crop, it would be a crushing blow to the agriculture sector if CJ and TP link canals are closed at this critical stage of sowing the strategic Kharif crops, including wheat. It may be added that the differences have arisen between Irsa, Punjab and Sindh provinces over distribution of remaining water from Tarbela and Mangla dams for sowing and maturing the winter crops like wheat, grams, oil seeds, fodder and various vegetables in the country.
According to the latest Irsa report the water level in Tarbela dam on river Indus is 1430 ft, ie, 60 ft above the dead level, with daily inflow of 23,800 cusecs and outflow of 46,000 cusecs downstream. In Mangla dam on river Jhelum, the water inflow is 7461 cusecs against the outflow of 30,000 cusecs.
In sum the total inflow at all the four rim stations of rivers, Indus, Kabul, Jhelum and Chenab is 46,724 cusecs against the outflow of 91,463 cusecs. Of this, Punjab is getting 46,000 cusecs, Sindh 35,000 cusecs, Balochistan 3700 cusecs and NWFP 2400 cusecs. Punjab irrigation department sources say that Irsa has closed the CJ link canal, however it is releasing water in the TP link canal from the Indus zone for sowing Kharif crops in south Punjab.
The department claims that Punjab's remaining water share is 2.5 million cusecs for sowing and maturing the crops till April 2010. The farmers of some parts of Sindh say they are unable to sow wheat and other crops due to short of irrigation water, therefore Punjab province should fulfil its water needs from Mangla dam and let all the Indus water flow to Sindh province.