‘Keenjhar Lake drying up’

Sindh's irrigation department seems helpless to release water to Keenjhar Lake - the major source of water for Karachi, Thatta and adjacent areas. Currently, the province is facing 42 per cent water scarcity and the farmers fear their khareef crop will be destroyed if water is not released within a week.

"There is no water anywhere," said Rasool Bux, a farmer from Badin's coastal area. "We do not have water even for our cattle. We do not have enough water to drink," he complained.

The residents of coastal belt, including Badin, Thatta and Sujawal, said that they were already facing water shortage but the situation is worst this season. Muhammad Yousuf, a resident from Thatta's village said, "Not only the lower parts of the province, the situation is same in other parts of Sindh.

Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro told The Express Tribune that last year the province had about 22 per cent water shortage. But, he added, this year we have 42 per cent water shortage. "Even Sindh is facing drinking water unavailability in towns," Shoro said.

Shoro also said that the water level in Keenjhar Lake has receded to 40 feet. "The dead level is 42 feet and if the water is not released in the lake, we will have a worst kind of situation," he added. He also said that due to shortage of water in the river, the water storage in all small and major cities of Sindh has reached at alarming level.

"Sindh depends on river water. People do not have other option like Punjab has [the ground water]," he explained. Irritated with Indus River System Authority (IRSA), the minister said that Sindh has rejected the three-tier formula. "We should be given water according to 1991 Water Accord," he urged.

Last year in October, the representatives of the Sindh province staged protest and walked out during the meeting of the IRSA's Advisory Committee due to the blatant injustice of the authority over the water distribution and three-tier formula which was brought under discussion without consultations of small provinces and it was the violation of the water accord of 1991.

The farmers and irrigation department officials claim that the water shortage is the worst in the last 10 years. The farmers said that the Khareef season has started in Sindh and the water scarcity will push them economically in worst condition.

They demanded of the Sindh government to immediately take the case of water shortage with the federal government.