ISLAMABAD   -  The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council has tied the proposal for con­structing various canals under the Green Pakistan Initiative to the approval of the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

In February 2024, the Ex­ecutive Committee of the National Economic Council conditionally approved a plan titled “Development of the National Irrigation Network for the Green Pakistan Initia­tive”, an official source told The Nation. However, to allay the concerns of the provinces, the approval of the proposal was subjected to approval by Council of Common Interest (CCI), the source said.

The Development of Na­tional Irrigation Network for Green Pakistan Initiative plans for the construction of various canals including Cholistan Canal, Greater Thal Canal (GTC), Construction of Kachhi Canal, Construction of Rainee Canal, Construction of Thar Canal and Construc­tion of Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC). The province of Sindh has serious reserva­tions over the construction of Cholistan Flood Feeder Canal and Greater Thal Canal (GTC), the source said.

The Green Pakistan Initia­tive (GPI) is a flagship project under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), developed through collab­orative efforts between the Pakistan Army and federal/provincial governments. Its aim is to enhance Pakistan’s agricultural potential by in­creasing cultivable land. Launched in 2023, the pilot project within this initiative is the Corporate Agriculture Farming effort in Greater Cholistan, which seeks to cul­tivate 400,000 acres of desert land in Phase I. To achieve this goal, the construction of the Cholistan Flood Feeder Canal has been proposed.

In the last CDWP meeting, held in the third week of Sep­tember, the federal govern­ment included the PC-I for the construction of the Cho­listan Canal for consideration; however, it was deferred. Cholistan Canal and Systems phase-I project will be com­pleted at the estimated cost of Rs211.399 billion; however, Sindh has raised objections to construction of Cholistan Canal Chobara Branch. Sindh has conditioned the construc­tion of the canal with the increase in water availabil­ity, the source said. Sindh has conveyed its objections to the Ministry of the Water Resourc­es. Sindh’s position is that the availability of water should be increased before constructing the proposed canal. Accord­ing to Punjab stance, Cholistan canal will get flood water for four months while water will be supplied from the Punjab part for the rest of the month. However, Sindh is not ready to accept the Punjab’s stance. Sindh fears that the construc­tion of the canals will reduce the province’s share of water. Now, the Sindh government will present its case against the Cholistan canal and Great­er Thal Canal (GTC) to the CCI.