Sindh govt rejects CDWP’s approval of Cholistan canal project

The Sindh government has rejected the decision of the federal body Central Development Working Party (CDWP) to approve the Cholistan canal project, according to a statement by Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro.

In his statement, the minister expressed Sindh’s reservations over the controversial federal decisions, stating that the province plans to stage a strong protest against the approval at the federal level, Express News reported.

Despite Sindh’s significant objections and discussions in the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the CDWP forwarded the project for final approval to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).

The Sindh government, however, refuses to endorse the CDWP's decision.

Jam Khan Shoro said that the approval of this project is damaging to Sindh’s interests. "Sindh is already suffering from a water shortage, and this canal could turn our lands barren," he warned.

The CDWP had given the go-ahead for the Cholistan canal project, which has sparked concerns in Sindh regarding the potential impact on its already limited water resources.

CDWP has been working on Cholistan Canal and Systems Phase-I project, valued at Rs211.399 billion.

Previously, Sindh had raised objections to the construction of the Cholistan Canal Chobara Branch, with nationalist parties in the province protesting the plan. The Sindh government had conditioned its support for the canal on an increase in water availability.

Sindh had communicated its concerns to the Ministry of Water Resources, arguing that the canal should only be built once water availability is increased. But the stance of Punjab is that Cholistan canal will get flood water for four months while water will be supplied from the Punjab part for the rest of the month.

In response, the Ministry of Water Resources stated that it cannot resolve the issue and advised Sindh to raise the matter in the CCI.