WB asks Sindh to finalise water policy
A woman fills containers with water from a hand pump during a heatwave in Jacobabad. PHOTO: AFP
World Bank officials have asked the Sindh government to finalise its water policy by August to ensure funding for the Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation (SWAT) project.
SWAT Project Head Greg Browder during a meeting with Sindh Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro said it would be difficult to process the project without finalising water policy.
Shoro informed the World Bank team that draft of Sindh water policy is under process and very soon it will be finalised by taking into confidence all the stakeholders. "Sindh water policy is an important matter and we are facing lots of different inter-provincial issues and it is connected with the future generation of Sindh," he said.
Shoro further said, "we couldn't finalise the Sindh water policy without the consultations and consensus of stakeholders including organisation of farmers and others." Browder and other members of World Bank team, Francis Onimues and Josses Moeabi discussed the status of SWA project, Sindh water policy and the implementation of Sindh Barrages Improvement Projects in detail with Shoro. Meeting was attended by the concerned officers of Irrigation department,Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) including Managing Director, SIDA Pritam Das, Muhammad Ehsan laghari and others.
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The SIDA MD said that Sindh Irrigation Department had initially prepared a PC-1 of Rs300 millions for the resettlement action plan to rehabilitate the areas which are located near Akram Wah and in this regard, Sindh government had approved it in the Annual Development Scheme. "Moreover, Rs200 millions has been added for PC1 under SWAT project for the resettlement action plan as well," he added.
Tarbela Dam hits dead level
The Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro has expressed deep concern that the Tarbela dam, which supplies water to Sindh, has reached dead level because the Indus River System Authority has opened TP and CJ link canals. In a statement on Monday Shoro said IRSA was conveyed apprehensions of Sindh in advance about the depleting level of Tarbela because of supply of water to Taunsa-Panjnad and Chashma-Jhelum canals.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2022.