The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) on Tuesday expressed its inability to broker any arrangement between Sindh and Punjab on water distribution to deal with current scarcity in Sindh, amid weather forecast that May and June would be dry months.
This was the crux of a rowdy meeting of special committee on water headed by Senator Moula Bux Chandio in which Member Sindh, Syed Mazhar Ali Shah confirmed that both Sindh and Punjab are facing shortages but suggested that increased water outflows in Indus system should be released to Sindh for the time being as Kharif crops are being sown.
He further stated that he did not think the situation would improve in the next 20-25 days and added that his voice is not heard in Indus River System Authority (Irsa) as he is the only member from Sindh. Senator Sassi Palijo said that as crops are not being sown in Sindh and people do not even have water to drink, Sindh must be declared drought-hit province. She demanded that Irsa stops releases to Chashma Jehulm (CJ) Link canal and Taunsa-Panjnad canal and release maxim water for Sindh. However, Dr Ghaus Muhammad Khan said that water is being released into CJ for drinking purposes only and suggested that Wapda should also be invited to the next meeting.
Chairman, Standing Committee, directed Chairman Irsa to devise a mechanism to deal with the "drought" like situation after taking the members of Sindh and Punjab on board. "Whatever has happened in Sindh with respect to water shortage is because of nature, Punjab is not responsible for it," Chandio acknowledged, adding that the pain of Sindh is more severe than in Punjab.
A drought is a period of below-average precipitation in a given region resulting in prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water or ground water. The meeting's participants especially Senators from Sindh were seen visibly worried after Director General Met, Dr Ghulam Rasool informed the committee that May and June would be dry months and monsoon rains will start in July due to a massive change in weather pattern.
Chairman IRSA, Ahmad Kamal gave a detailed presentation on Water Accord 1991 and shared different decisions on this issue starting from former Minister for Water and Power Ghulam Murtaza Khar to self-exiled former Chief Executive of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf (retired). M H Siddiqui, Consultant to Irrigation Department Punjab said that Sindh and Punjab have been getting water as per the Accord 1991 and added that South Punjab is facing a situation similar to what Sindh is facing. He said Sindh has been given 35 per cent more than its share, which will reach Sindh after 15 days.
"If Sindh is facing a water crisis then so is Punjab," he said, adding that Trimu-Panjnad (TP) whose capacity is 12000 cusecs is getting just 5000 cusecs. Punjab is facing shortage of 48 per cent and less than 50 per cent of Punjab's canals are operating. Taunsa canal is operating at 5000 cusecs instead of 17500 cusecs. Chairman Standing Committee stated that presently Sindh needs relief to which M.H. Siddiqui responded that all the provinces including Punjab need relief.
Member Punjab, Rao Irshad Ali said that the current water crisis in Sindh can only be sorted out if both provincial governments talk to each other. He suggested that the long term solution of water shortage would be construction of reservoirs. Even though he did not mention the name of the controversial Kalabagh dam yet his suggestion was not met with approval from Senators from Sindh as was clearly evident from their faces. Senator Sassi Palijo maintained that she is seeking measures to deal with the current situation while Punjab is raising the issue of reservoirs.
On this, Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, said that the proposal from Punjab may be feasible for the future but first a solution should be found to deal with the current water crisis in Sindh. He also suggested that the top men of Punjab and Sindh government should consult with each other so that relief is provided to Sindh. The Senators from Sindh, including Chairman of the Special Committee, Moula Bux Chandio, Dr Sikandar Ali Mendrio and Sassi Palijo termed the presentation "an old one " which they had been hearing for a long time and urged Irsa Chairman to tell them "what can he do to resolve the situation for Sindh"?
Chairman IRSA said that the role of IRSA is to distribute water amongst the provinces as per agreed share, adding that the current scenario is of "scarcity of water" which is beyond his mandate; he further stated that the issue can only be resolved if both the provincial governments talk to each other.
"IRSA's mandate is to deal with water shortage not scarcity," he said, adding that the way forward can be high level contacts between the top leadership of the two provincial governments. Another way could be for IRSA to call a meeting of the Authority and members from Sindh and Punjab sit together on this issue and reach a mutual adjustment on allocated share.
Senator Ch Tanvir Khan proposed that Irsa should play a role in finding out a short-term solution of the water crisis in Sindh, adding that the committee would prepare recommendations for construction of reservoirs. The committee was informed that there is a built-in mechanism in IRSA to adjust the supplies keeping in view the provincial shares viz-a-viz water availability in the system.
On May 3, 2018, IRSA reviewed the regulation and decided as follows: (i) due to less availability on Indus Punjab share for Trimmu-Sidhnai & Panjnad Canals may immediately be shifted to Mangla Dam; (ii) Punjab was drawing, as per its share, 17,500 Cs on Indus but after review Punjab's share was reduced to 10,500 Cs immediately. To compensate the Punjab releases Mangla was increased to 45,000 Cs to feed the Trimmu-Sidhnai & Panjnad Canals; (iii) Accordingly, CJ Link Canal, which was not transferring water from Indus but was being operated to feed GTC, was reduced from 3000 Cs to 1000 Cs; (iv) simultaneously, Punjab share for Taunsa Canals (including TP Link Canal) was reduced to 5,000 Cs from 10,000 Cs.
Accordingly TP Link Canal is reduced from 5,400 Cs (on 03.05.18) to 1756 Cs (on May 06, 18); (v) by making these adjustments IRSA keeps the Sindh share on 45,000 Cs, which otherwise may decline to 35,000 Cs, in the backdrop of dwindling storage in Tarbela Dam. IRSA hoped that due to present rainfall system, hopefully river inflows will increase and accordingly provincial shares will be reassessed. Simultaneously, Punjab has been directed to take supplies from Mangla up to Panjnad till improvement of supplies in Indus Zone.
In case of sufficient water storage available in reservoirs IRSA can allow adjustments (additional allocation) to any of the stakeholders under clause 14 (d) of the Accord. Presently, in the context of meager storage available in reservoirs, IRSA is making distribution on run-of-the-river supplies available in the system and shortages of about 38% are being distributed between Punjab & Sindh. IRSA is distributing water equally between Punjab & Sindh Provinces as per the Authority's mandate.
However, IRSA would welcome any mutual adjustment between the stakeholders in the best national interest. Chairman IRSA said that presently Mangla is not being filled and substantial water is being released from it. Guddu barrage has opened and CJ link canal is restricted only to 1000 cusecs of water.
"As we get instructions from top, we will implement the decision in letter and spirit," he continued. According to an official statement, Senate Special Committee on Water Scarcity has asked IRSA to ensure that water is released for distribution to Sindh province as soon as is it is available. The committee asked Member Sindh and Member Punjab to use every possible platform to take up the matter of water scarcity and efficient water management with their respective governments.
Members of the Committee agreed that while the Committee will finalise its own recommendations on the matter of acute water shortage in the province of Sindh which has adversely affected sowing of Kharif crop, IRSA should also take the matter up at appropriate forums. The committee also decided to hear WAPDA in the next meeting.
The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Senator Moula Bakhsh Chandio and was attended among others by Senators Sassi Palijo, Chaudhry Tanvir Khan, Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, John Kenneth Williams, Muhammad Akram, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, Khushbakht Shujaat, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Jamoot, Secretary Climate Change, Chairman IRSA, Director General Metrological Department and other officials.