Sindh Assembly turns to CJP to solve water crisis in the province

Nisar Khuhro requests the top judge to guide the assembly on the matter

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution on Monday demanding the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the severe water shortage in Sindh.

The resolution was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentary leader Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and addressed the water shortage caused by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA).

“The House also respectfully expresses its expectation that the honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan shall be pleased to direct us [federal government] to take steps and action similar to those taken in other countries to protect the river delta and the people living in deltaic region,” the resolution read.

It draws the attention of the SC’s water commission towards the constant menace of discharge of industrial effluent from Punjab into Sindh’s water supply.



It further states that: “The House is of the opinion that it is essential that these industrial effluents should be scientifically treated before their release in water channels and expects the water commission” to take up the matter with the government of Punjab, since all previous pleas from Sindh in this regard have fallen on deaf ears.”

Earlier, Khuhro expressed concern on the failure and apathy of IRSA to curb the continuing and accelerating erosion of the most fertile coastal land of the Indus Delta by the sea.

“In the absence of sufficient outflows to the sea, an estimated 2.4 million acres of coastal land has gone undersea and rough conditions of the sea during the next six months are expected to devour additional thousands of acres,” he said.

He added that the disaster is entirely manmade and has been caused by the negligence and apathy of federal institutions.

Pointing out institutional negligence he said: “The land that has gone under sea is the land of Pakistan. The people living in the coastal areas of Sindh are also citizens of Pakistan whose basic human rights are being violated”.

Khuhro was of the view that federal minister Syed Sadruddin Shah Rashdi, member of the Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F) has never raised the water issue in the cabinet.

Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan did not oppose the resolution, but said, “For the first time, this assembly has demanded a suo motu notice of the water crisis”.



He said he wanted to know what the PPP had done to resolve the issue during its tenure in the federal government.

Hasan said the IRSA continues injustice with Sindh in the distribution of water, but no one including the PPP government has taken action against it.

During his speech, he appealed to the apex court to take suo moto notice of massive discrepancies, delimitation of union councils and census.

"We want to know from the chief minister who defended Sindh’s case in the Council of Common Interest meeting where such issues were brought under discussion,” he said.

Provincial minister Imdad Pitafi and others also spoke on the resolution. Later, the speaker adjourned the session till late Tuesday.

MPA presses motion about sexual harassment at KU

Earlier as the session started, PML-F MPA Nusrat Seher Abbasi moved an adjournment motion regarding sexual harassment of a student by a teacher of Karachi University.

Chief minister’s special assistant on women development Iran Khalid informed the house that a committee has been formed and the matter is being inquired.

“As soon as the inquiry comes to an end, we will share the findings in this house,” she said and assured Abbasi that due course of action will be taken.

In view of the assurances presented, Abbasi withdrew her adjournment motion.

Assembly parking inaugurated

Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani also inaugurated the parking of the assembly.

According to officials, around 265 vehicles can be parked in the parking which has been built with estimated cost of Rs350 million.