Daily Times

Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah on Thursday said water scarcity was a serious issue and it could not be resolved by any single province.

Responding to a Calling Attention Notice in the Senate, he proposed that the 91 accord should be acted upon instead of following three-tier system.

Criticizing the three-tier system and its introducer, Khursheed Shah said it was the most disadvantageous. “The one who was getting water through this system was the biggest responsible of water crisis in the country.” he said. He said the main factor behind the water crisis was decisions which avoiding the Constitution.

He said there was 57 percent shortage of water in the country. Highlighting the certain areas in Sindh where it was quite difficult to give bath even a body, he informed that the people had to travel towards urban areas to bring water. He also mentioned that there were certain areas in our country where animals were also being suffered due to water shortage. Soon after assuming the charge as water resources minister, he formed a fact-finding committee based on three members of National Assembly including one from Balochistan and two from Punjab besides official of irrigation department.

He said that the committee disclosed in their report that at least 22,000 cusecs water was stolen from Taunsa Barrage to Guddu Barrage. Khursheed Shah believed that almost 10,000 cusecs water would have been evaporated from Taunsa to Guddu barrages but there were 8,000 to 9,000 unauthorized tube wells in Punjab due to which Sindh and Balochistan’s water was being decreased.

In 1974, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said until and unless, the small provinces did not get their due share in water, the issues would be created for the country and sanctioned two canals to Balochistan and approved one canal for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on which the work was being started now and moreover, one canal was given to Sindh.

He said he would give credit to the governments of Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for constructing 300 kilometers of Balochistan’s one canal.

During last four years, he said the previous government could not complete even a single kilometer. To complete this project, the incumbent government had allocated special budged in a bid to resolve the water issue of Balochistan on priority basis, he maintained.

He said until and unless, the Balochistan’s infrastructure would not be completed, the water issue would prevail in the province.

He further said the government of the day was working on climate change and agriculture for resolving the water and food crisis in the country.