Water woes: Asif asks India to honour Indus treaty

Minister says Islamabad will contest encroachment by New Delhi

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday asked India to honour the historic Indus Water Treaty, warning it will contest the illegal encroachment by India at appropriate forums.

“We will contest our case at an appropriate forum if India encroaches upon our water rights,” the minister said while talking to journalists after attending the International Climate Change and Vulnerability of Indus Water Resources convention.

He warned that Pakistan could face severe water shortages in the next few years. “We need a National Action Plan (like terrorism) to overcome water and energy shortage in the country,” he suggested.

Asif said Pakistan primarily relied on rainwater to irrigate farms, stressing drastic measures were needed to control water wastage. “We need to develop national consensus and focus on the construction of more water reservoirs,” he added.

The past governments, both civilian and dictatorial, did not pay heed to impending crisis by not constructing more water reservoirs, Asif pointed out.

To a question, the minister said Pakistan was not the only country in the region facing water shortage. “Mismanagement in water and energy sectors over the years has created a crisis in the country.”

He expressed optimism that the government would eliminate the electricity load-shedding completely within two to three years. To a question, he said land worth over Rs100 billion was being purchased for Diamir-Bhasha dam.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2015.