KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution vehemently rejecting the proposed amendments to the Irsa Act 1992, warning that such a move will devastate the province’s agricultural districts, leaving them parched and barren.

Discontent over the proposed amendment to the Irsa Act made the lawmakers outcry, warning that water problems do draw “wars”. A rare unity between the treasury and opposition signalled a clear message of resentment to the federal coalition rule’s water distribution plans.

The resolution was presented in the house by PPP’s Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, stating that any changes in the Irsa Act will be seen as an alteration in Water Apportionment Accord 1991 and contradiction to the democratic spirit of the federation.

According to the resolution, the Water Apportionment Accord-1991 and the IRSA Act-1992 are foundational for regulating and distributing surface water among provinces as per the agreement provisions.

It warned any amendment to the Irsa Act-1992 will effectively alter the Water Accord-1991 and will not be accepted by the people of Sindh. It demands a strict adherence to the Water Apportionment Accord-1991 and opposes any modifications to the Irsa Act-1992.

Nisar Khuhro - the mover opposed the federal government’s proposed amendment to Irsa Act. He argued that the 1991 accord was signed by the chief ministers of all provinces and that any amendments to the Irsa Act without consulting the provinces were unacceptable.

He warned that such changes can lead to conflict, as water is a matter of survival for the people of Sindh. Despite the water recipient, a large agriculture stretch of the province stands barren, he added.

Sindh Irrigation Minister, Jam Khan Shoro echoed Khuhro’s concerns, stating that Irsa was created to ensure water distribution agreements. He stressed that any alteration to the Irsa accord will have severe repercussions for Sindh.

Water flowing from the Kotri Barrage had reduced by 61 percent since 2012, he pointed out, pledging that his party’s rule will address this problem of the city.

Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah highlighted that water has historically been a contentious issue. He cited the long-standing water dispute between India and Pakistan and noted that all civilizations had emerged around rivers.

He stressed that water was a provincial subject, not a federal one, and warned that any attempt to appoint a federal chairman to Irsa will be seen as a violation of the 1991 agreement.

MQM’s Abdul Basit and Jamal Ahmed supported the resolution but questioned the PPP rule that continues into 16th year for not addressing the Karachi’s water and civic problems.

They said that their party stood by the government to reject the proposed controversial Irsa amendment. However, they demanded of the Sindh government for the city’s due share of resources.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Muhammad Farooq also supported the move, urging all the political parties to fight for Sindh rights. PPP’s Ismail Rahoo said that water scarcity had already affected the livestock and fisheries in the province, warning that with the proposed amendment, the water accord will end itself By the end of the session, the assembly unanimously sent a clear message to the federal government that Sindh will not tolerate any changes to the Irsa Act without provincial consultation. The session was adjourned until Tuesday afternoon.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024