KARACHI: A livid Sindh chief minister has reacted to a decision by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to meet on the Chashma-Jhelum link canal despite the federal government’s decision to close it.
He argues that once the Punjab chief minister and prime minister have agreed that the canal be closed, Irsa had no business making any decisions. “Now we have learnt that Irsa is going to convene a meeting to make another decision, which is in violation of an earlier decision made by the prime minister,” said Qaim Ali Shah at a press conference Wednesday. “No one was going to hold a meeting when the canal was open. But when the canal was closed, suddenly they want to hold a meeting?” We will be able to tell in two days who is conspiring against Sindh, he added.
Shah said that Sindh wanted the 1991 water accord to be enforced and that the prime minister should take notice of people who wanted to create a rift between the provinces and the federal government.
According to Shah, during a meeting chaired by the PM on Tuesday, the acting Irsa chairman was found guilty of releasing water into the Chashma-Jhelum link canal on July 6. It was decided that the canal would be closed.
If the canal is opened, not just will Sindh face a water shortage, but it will not be able to give water to Balochistan. “We need at least 135,000 cusecs at the Sukkur Barrage to maintain its level,” he said.
For Sindh, the issue of water is even more important than coal or the National Finance Commission award, said the chief minister. The Sindh government will not tolerate such an attitude from federal government officials, he warned. “It is a matter of life and death and the federal government, instead of resolving the problem, has its officials harassing the Sindh member of Irsa. We will not accept any decision for the canal to be reopened.”
People are dying because of a shortage of water. There isn’t even enough to perform the last rites or ghusl for the dead, said Shah. “But some people sitting in the federal government are adamant about releasing water into the Chashma-Jehlum Link Canal,” he remarked.
Sindh had written to the chief minister of the Punjab and the PM, complaining about the Irsa chairman’s attitude as he “had misbehaved with our ministers and officials”.
Sindh not only wants the acting Irsa chairman to be removed, but will oppose his appointment as Irsa’s Punjab representative because of his “biased” attitude.
Shah said that they wanted to see Irsa as an independent body that worked without any political influence.
“No one nominated him as chairman,” said Shah. “He has become the acting chairman himself.”
The CM reported that during a meeting with the prime minister, Sindh had asked the minister for water and power to ensure the enforcement of the 1991 water accord. He added that there was not a single word in that document about releasing water to the Chashma-Jehlum Link Canal.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2010.
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