IRSA directed to ensure implementation of water accord

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Water Resources in a meeting on Wednesday directed the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to ensure the implementation of the Water Sharing Accord of 1991.

The committee, which met here with its chairman Nawab Yousuf Talpur in the chair, also directed the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and the water resources ministry to install telemetry systems as soon as possible and sought the help of independent experts for site review.

Briefing the committee, the member, Punjab, Irsa, said that 102 million acre feet (MAF) of usable water was actually available in Pakistan, while about 20 to 22 MAF of water was lost to the sea. “If dams are built, the usable water availability will increase,” he added.

Taking a detailed look at the matter, the committee directed for the water distribution in accordance with the spirit of paragraph 2 of the 1991 agreement.

The committee was informed that there were only 2,600-mile long canals in Punjab, while Sindh had a 600-mile canal system, yet, Punjab had less water losses while Sindh had more. The committee was informed that the loss of water depended on the slope and nature of the land, rainfall and temperature.

The land of Punjab was sloping and hard, while the land of Sindh was smooth and sandy. Similarly, the weather in Punjab was colder and morehumid than in Sindh. Rainfall was also higher in Punjab than Sindh, where weather remained hot and dry, therefore, more water was wasted in Sindh.

To date, however, no reliable system for measuring water volume has been developed, the committee heard. To overcome this problem, a telemetry system was being installed, which, once installed, would clarify the situation of water losses and also help equitable distribution of water.

The committee directed Wapda and the water resources ministry to install modern telemetry system as soon as possible.

The committee was informed that there was no consensus on the measurement of water at different places. It is important that the water be measured by an independent body or expert. The ministry representatives told the lawmakers that Wapda was already providing services in that regard.

However, some provinces had reservations about the measurement by Wapda. Therefore, it had been unanimously decided to have the water measured by an international body, the International Water Management Institute to find out how much water was being used and how much being wasted.

The Irsa chairman said that an agreement was signed by the then chief ministers and other important people in 1991 to set up IRSA to implement the agreement. But there were many questions about Irsa’s performance.

The chairman, who is also a member of Irsa from Sindh, told the committee that Irsa was carrying out its duties in accordance with the powers vested in it by the law. Generally, he added, all matters were decided by consensus, but if there was no consensus, then decisions were made by a majority vote.

According to the 1991 agreement, he added, 114 million acre feet of water was distributed as per the prescribed formula and if there was any water shortage, the method of distribution was also given in the relevant rules.

The meeting was attended by National Assembly members Ali Nawaz Awan, Shaukat Bhatti, Javed Warraich, Noorin Farooq Ibrahim, Nuzhat Pathan, Khalid Magsi, Riaz Haq, Ehsan Mazari, Mir Munawar Talpur, Afrin Khan besides the provincial irrigation minister water resources secretary, Irsa members and senior civil officials of Wapda, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the irrigation departments of Punjab and Sindh.