Centre urged to ensure judicious water distribution

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon appealed to the federal government to take notice of the acute water shortage in Sindh province as it has reached an alarming level.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the minister said that the people of the province were facing a severe shortage of drinking water. He urged the federal government to ensure judicious distribution of water among the federating units according to the 91 water accord.

The minister said that growers and farmers were protesting as the production of crops and orchards were severely affected due to a shortage of water while the farmers were unable to bear the expenditures of fertilisers and other inputs.

Sharjeel said that Sindh has an important role in the agricultural economy of the country and the country's economy is already facing challenges.

He said that if the scarcity of water persists, consequently the economic challenges of the country can get worse. The provincial minister appealed to the federal government to ensure water releases to Sindh as per the Accord 1991 due to the depletion of water reserves in the country.

The Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro has said the province is facing acute water shortage which is not only affecting agriculture but it is also causing a shortfall of drinking water. In a statement issued here on Thursday the minister said Sindh was not being provided its share of water as per the Water Accord 1991.Rather, he added, the three-tier formula was being applied which had reduced the province’s share a lot.

According to him, in the month of April, Sindh was supposed to receive 2.408 million acre feet (MAF) water on the basis of the accord. However, he said the province was provided only 1.388 MAF water. He informed that Punjab was given 2.719 MAF against its share of 4.116 MAF.

The minister said Indus River System Authority (IRSA) had calculated the overall shortfall at 36 percent. The minister contended that as per the IRSA’s readings of the water availability Sindh should have been provided 1.542 MAF instead of 1.388 MAF. Shoro demanded that the province should immediately be compensated for the losses by providing enhanced quantity of water.