ISLAMABAD - Sindh has reiterated its stance that the province has no objection to building new dams if they were constructed with consensus.
The province has also rejected the distribution of water under historical or three tier formula and demanded the implementation of Water Accord 1991 so the provinces should get their due share of water, official source told The Nation here.
Sindh official expressed these views during the first meeting of the Committee constituted by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to review the National Water Policy here.
Sartaj Aziz, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, chaired the meeting and was attended by Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Javed Ali Shah, Chief Secretary KP, Additional Chief Secretary Balochistan, Federal Secretary for Water Resources, Irrigation Department Secretaries of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and senior officials of the Federal and Provincial Governments.
Source privy to the meeting said that Sindh Secretary Irrigation said that currently the Water Accord 1991 was suspended by IRSA and demanded that the province should be provided its share as per the original accord.
The Sindh official proposed that riverine (Kuccha) area should be artificially flooded.
The artificial flooding will make the reverine more fertile and will also recharge the underground water in those areas, he said.
The artificial flooding will also stop the sea intrusion and land erosion in the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan, he added.
It was also proposed that the Federal government should fund the major fund protection projects in the provinces. The source said that during the meeting Sindh also proposed the acceleration of work on Bhasha Dam.
The construction of Bhasha Dam will help avert the upcoming water crisis in the country, the Sindh official said.
Meanwhile, a Press statement issued here stated that Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Sartaj Aziz, said that water is emerging as a major development and security issue for Pakistan and the present water crisis will be further aggravated in the coming years because of the climate change phenomenon.
On the occasion, Sartaj Aziz said that water is emerging as a major development and security issue for Pakistan.
The present water crisis will be further aggravated in the coming years because of the climate change phenomenon, he said.
There is an urgent need for a national water policy that will provide an integrated framework for provincial governments to prepare their action plan for water conservation, water storage and use of improved techniques in the water sector, he added.
Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari emphasised the importance of water efficiency and conservation strategies in the overall policy framework.
Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Javed Ali Shah highlighted the role of provincial governments and other stakeholders, who have the primary responsibility of execution and implementation of the policy.
It was decided that the Committee will hold another meeting after two weeks time to finalise first draft of the policy after incorporating the suggestions of members of the Committee in the draft report.