Committee to finalise Living Indus Initiative

Recommendations to be presented in draft to improve water quality, quantity

KARACHI:

The Sindh government has formed a review committee of provincial ministers to finalise the UN's Living Indus Initiative.

The ministers, along with relevant officials, would review the proposed programmes and suggestions mentioned in the draft of the initiative to improve water quality and quantity, while also restoring the health of the Indus Basin.

The review committee would consist of Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro, Sindh Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Muhammad Ismail Rahoo, Parliamentry Secretary for Health Qasim Siraj Soomro, MPA Pir Mujeeb and officers from the Environment Protection Agency, Planning and Development and other relevant departments.

The review committee has to submit its recommendations and suggestions to the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Pakistan before June 1, 2022, to finalise the draft.

This was decided in a meeting held in Clifton with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan Julien Harneis and other officials. The meeting was attended by Sindh Ministers including Jam Khan Shoro, Ismail Rahoo, Parliamentry Secretary for Health Qasim Soomro, MPA Pir Mujeeb and others.

During the meeting, Harneis said that work had started on the Living Indus Initiative under the Prime Minster's Climate Change Committee in December 2021. It was realised at the time that institutional arrangements were necessary to make sure suggestions would be proposed for a healthier Indus Basin.

Read More: ‘Close all access roads to the Indus River’

During the meeting of the committee on climate change, the Living Indus Initiative draft was proposed for Pakistan. He said the water of the Indus River had been contaminated to the extent that it was necessary to engage society and change its perception/attitudes in order to conserve water and maintain its quality.

On this occasion, Sindh Minister Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro said that the volume of water had been reduced in the Indus River. "There is not even enough water available for cultivation purposes and the province is facing a severe shortage. This is leading to sea intrusion and other ecological problems."

He said that the Indus Basin was also facing a big problem of sedimentation at Guddu and Lower Kotri riparian areas. He further said that the water quality of Indus River had also been contaminated due to the disposal of toxic chemicals and industrial effluents which entered the Indus River from Punjab.

Jam Khan Shoro said that Sindh was working on its water policy and it will soon be finalised.

Ismail Rahoo stressed that a detailed discussion on the draft of the Living Indus Initiative would be carried out in the review committee. Later, final recommendations would be proposed and incorporated in the draft. He said that the Provincial Climate Policy had been sent to the law department for approval.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2022.