Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday informed Senate that the government is planning to convene an international conference on water crisis by the end of the year where the issue of Indus Water Treaty (IWT) will also be discussed. Winding up a debate on a commenced motion by Senator Chaudhary Tanveer Khan on the constantly lowering water table in the country, he said that there are so many dimensions for water crisis such as irrigation, industrial use, Indus Water Treaty, etc.
He accused the provinces of not taking any step to preserve water since the issue is a provincial subject, which is the reason no initiative has yet been taken for water preservation to avoid water crisis in future.
"To say that there is enough water is a fallacy and we should wake up to it...it's a natural crisis and it has to be dealt collectively, so I would request you, Chairman Senate, to issue directions to the provinces to take some measures for water preservation as they're doing nothing," he lamented. He said that work on Diamer-Bhasha and Muda Dams will start during the current year as land acquisition for the project has been completed, adding the project has been divided into two phases including water reservoir and the power house.
The minister for water and power said Neelum-Jhelum project will be made operational during the current year, adding the delay in construction of Nolan Dam is mainly due to political differences among some political parties for their own vested interests.
"If they shun their differences, we are ready to build the dam and we are also ready to build ten small dams in place of Nolan Dam," he added.
Senator Chaudhry Tanveer warned if the government fails to take any initiative for preserving water in the country, it will be more challenging for our future generation than the menace of militancy and power loadshedding. "All institutions like ADP, WB, etc, are ready to help us in this regard [water preservation] but it's a pity to see that we are acting as a silent spectator. I would like to say that water crisis will badly affect our country if we fail to address right away," he added.