Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Panel on Planning, Development and Reforms on Thursday recommended that sea intrusion into the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan areas should be included in the Vision 2025 programme and also requested the Prime Minister that the issue should be in the agenda of the next meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI).

The Committee met under the chair of Tahir Hussain Mashhadi. In the meeting Karim Ahmed Khawaja, Convener of the Sub-committee on Planning and Development and Reforms (P&DR) presented his report on TROs in a bid to find all possible solutions and frame recommendations to control erosion of coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan due to the sea situation.

The Committee adopted the sub-committee’s report and recommended that

The 1991 Water accord should be implemented upon in letter and spirit to stop sea intrusion in Sindh from Sir Creek to Karachi. The ministry of P&DR should ensure that all stockholders, provincial government of Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan Navy, SUPARCO, WAPDA and IRSA, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), ministries of Science and technology, climate change and all other concerned departments and experts carry out long duration study/joint research to check and control intrusion in the coastal areas.

The Committee recommended for building of a super highway from Sir Creek to Karachi in consultation with the Sindh government, infrastructure including roads constructed to gain access to the affected areas. People of the areas as well as those who had migrated other areas should be rehabilitated back and social and economic support should be provided to them so that they can return to their normal life.

The Committee said that Pakistan was presently importing $ 2 billion palm oil and recommended that in coastal areas cultivation of palm and coconut trees can be beneficial and also be a source of earning a livelihood for the people of the areas. Plantation of mangroves to protect coastal areas, their monitoring through local community and third party evaluation must also be carried out to analyze previous plantations.

The Committee recommended that it must be verified as to how much land and islands have been lost to sea.It has been reported that 22 lakh acres of coastal land has been submerged under sea in Sindh. It needs to be probed scientifically as whether these lands can be reclaimed back by modern study and scientifically modified methods.

The Committee recommended that as countries like China, India, the Netherlands, the USA (California) were facing the same problems as the Pakistani coastal areas. Therefore, comprehensive studies to reclaim their lost areas should be conducted with environmental reputed organizations such as IUCN, WWF and well qualified academicians.

Committee appreciates the efforts of six officials; Pakistan has been able to increase 50,000 sq kms in its marine area, which is remarkable achievement.

The Committee adopted a Sub-committee report and unanimously recommended that the report of the sub-committee will be laid in the next session of the Senate.

Members appreciated the efforts, hard work and dedication of the convener and members of the sub-committee for their Herculean task.

Usman kakar said that the government not taken measures for the stopping of sea erosion because, these areas were in Sindh and Balochistan. If this sea was situated in Punjab than they would not have been ignored, he remarked. He criticized the P&DR officials and demanded actions on merit. Saeed Mandokhail said that P&DR majority officials belong to Punjab and they are doing work only for their own province and ignoring the others.

The Ministry of Water and Power officials informed the committee that 87 per cent of work of Kachi canal had been completed. Physical work of Gomal Zam dam 97 per cent wok, RBOD-iii 82 per cent RBOD-I 75 per cent and Mangla dam raising project were nearly completion. Mohsin Leghari complained that there were differences in the figures of P&DR and the water and power ministry. “They are providing us wrong information. Kachi canal is passing through our area but it does not seem to complete as the officials here are informing us,” he added.

The Ministry of Water and Power officials said that depute of royalty on Daimir Basha dam would be resolved amicably and now KPK and Gilgit-Baltistan, both would be able to get their royalty.