KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Monday passed a condemnation resolution against ‘unfair’ water distribution, which the treasury called “excesses against Sindh”.

A resolution, which Sindh Irrigation Minister, Sohail Anwar Siyal presented in the house, condemned the Irsa for its inability to streamline water supplies to the lower riparian province.

The resolution lamented the non-implementation of water distribution amongst the provinces especially Sindh in line with the 1992 accord.

The Minister strongly condemned the short water supplies to his province, calling the scarcity as “excesses against Sindh”.

“Sindh continues to face the water shortage since 2003,” he told the house, saying that the Punjab is suffering nine percent water shortage but Sindh 44 percent.

“We don’t want to have other provinces water share but just want ours,” Siyal said and added that Kotri barrage is ruining with 40 percent water supplies, namely 60.6 percent shortage has hit it.

“Punjab’s formula (for water distribution) is being implemented, which is entirely illegal,” he said and added that the Irsa has failed to ensure fair water distribution amongst the provinces.

The Minister said that the Irsa’s failure to make a fair water distribution has badly hit paddy output.

PPP’s Heer Ismail Soho feared the province agriculture sector may see a ravage if water supplies remained short.

“Short water supplies has left thousands of land infertile,” she added.

PTI’s Shahnawaz Jadoon threatened the government of a protest sit-in in front of Chief Minister House if water supplies to his constituency - port town of Keamari were not restored fully.

He said that Keamari is faced with 70 percent water shortage, making it hard for the people of his constituency. Parliamentary Secretary on Local Government, Saleem Baloch assured the opposition legislators of improving water share to Keamari.

He said that the city needs 1200 million gallons a day (mgd) but availability stands at 550 mgd.

Sindh Parliamentary Minister, Mukesh Kumar Chawla assured the house to make a mechanism on all incoming propositions to protect the broken binding copies of Holy Quran from sacrilege being disposed of into the polluted sea at native jetty.

MMA’s Syed Abdul Rashid raised the issue of inferno at Karachi Water and Sewerage Board head office, saying the fire gutted the record.

Saleem Baloch confirmed that fire had broken out at the respective office and also assured the house of a probe into the incident. He said that two suspected persons including Ismail and Bilal are now in police custody.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021