Sindh asks Centre to seek consent before building dams

Demand comes as new water policy is being tabled today for CCI’s nod

ISLAMABAD: Sindh has opposed a proposed new national water policy and has asked the central government to seek its consent before building dams and diverting water flow from rivers as it is a lower riparian province.

The water policy will be tabled before the Council of Common Interests (CCI) - an inter-provincial body - on Tuesday for approval with the consent of all provinces.

In its comments, Sindh pointed out that Pakistan had a federal system of government where provinces enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

“Thus, this policy is a national framework within which provinces can develop their master plans for sustainable development and management of water resources. Water resource is a national responsibility, but irrigation and agriculture as well as rural and urban water supply, environment and other water-related sub-sectors are provincial subjects,” Sindh said in a letter sent to the federal government.

Furthermore, according to the province, the national water policy recognises the internationally accepted rights of lower riparian areas and is based on the principle that any diversion and interruption of water flow should not adversely affect the lower riparian region and will only be allowed after explicit consent of such a region.

In order to augment dwindling irrigation deliveries into existing canal systems on account of decreasing storage capacity of Mangla and Tarbela dams due to sedimentation and to develop new cultivated area on canal irrigation water, Sindh said the existing water storage capacity of 14 million acre feet should be increased immediately by starting construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam.

The dam has “6.4 million acre feet live storage on which consensus of all the federating units had already been achieved in 2009.”

As the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991 was an accepted document and the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) was mandated to implement the accord, Sindh demanded that the authority implement it in true letter and spirit as per provincial shares.

While provinces were responsible for routine repair and maintenance of flood protection dykes, fighting floods and maintaining the drainage system, it suggested that flood protection work in the capital should be funded by the federal government as envisaged by the Federal Flood Commission in 1997.

“Options shall be explored to preserve environmental integrity of the system to reduce the environmental hazards faced by the population … while keeping in view the rights of lower riparian areas and after consensus of all stakeholders and provinces,” it said.

Realising the importance of storages in view of climate change, Sindh reiterated that reservoirs may be constructed where feasible keeping in mind the rights of lower riparian regions and after consensus of all stakeholders.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2018.

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