South Punjab MPAs lash out against new water distribution plan

Say there is no infrastructure to irrigate land through Mangla Dam.

LAHORE:

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) MPAs Dr Muhammad Afzal, Aamir Sultan Cheema and Waqas Hassan Mokal hae submitted an adjournment motion questioning the mandate of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) for drawing up a new plan for distribution of river waters.

They said a water management accord could only be approved by the Council of Common Interests.

Under the new ISRA plan, the Punjab IS to draw water from the Mangla Dam. Media reports have said that ISRA has assured the provincial authorities that the revised mechanism was in view of the improved storage capacity of Mangla.

The PML-Q leaders said the new arrangement was not feasible. They also rejected the reports that the government had endorsed the latest water management agreement.



Afzal said elected representatives had not been taken into confidence about the new plan.

The MPAs said the provincial government should clarify its stance.

“Takht-i -Lahore should not unilaterally decide the fate of millions of people,” Afzal said.

He said divisible water resources in the plan were reported to be around 114 million acre feet (MAF but actually, the available water was not more than 104 MAF.

He a large part of the Punjab was irrigated by Indus water through Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal, Taunsa-Panjnad Canal and Muzaffargarh Canal and there was no infrastructure to irrigate it using water from Mangla Dam.

He said if the reported agreement was implemented, south Punjab would face water shortages.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2013.