Fishermen row their boats as they catch fish on the river Indus at Sukkur Barrage in Sukkur, Pakistan, March 19, 2017. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro - RC1B6596FAB0
Islamabad [Pakistan], May 7 (ANI): The ongoing shortage of irrigation water posed a grave threat to the agricultural economy of Sindh province. The adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on agricultur and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Manzoor Hussain Wassan has informed that the province had been facing water shortage up to 53 per cent against its due share according to the Water Apportionment Accord 1991.
He made this remarks on in a statement issued on Friday, according to The News International.
He said various crops in the farmlands of Sindh would be damaged if the situation of water shortage persisted. Wassan said water had disappeared from irrigation channels in the province and the resultant situation was a grave threat to the agricultural economy of Sindh. “Crops of mangoes, chillies, rice and dates in Sindh could be damaged due to water shortage,” he lamented, according to the Pakistani publication.
Wassan also said that during the past regime of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Sindh had received 16 per cent less water in the Kharif season while it had faced 22 per cent water shortage in the Rabi season. On Thursday, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon has made an appeal to the federal government on to address the water crisis in Sindh and provide water to the province. “There is a severe shortage of drinking water in the province along with problems in irrigation canals,” said the provincial minister. “The economy will face more difficulties if the situation is not addressed,” he added.
Wassan said that Sindh should be supplied with its due water share as per the water accord of 1991 and any curtailment in this regard would not be accepted. Meanwhile, the water level at Guddu and Sukkur barrages in the Sindh had dropped to an alarming level.
Abdul Aziz Soomro, the official in charge of the Sukkur Barrage control room, said that the water level at Guddu and Sukkur barrages had dropped to an alarming level. The shortage has increased from the recent 40 per cent to 51 per cent now at Kotri, Guddu and Sukkur barrages which will definitely affect crops in Sindh, according to him. “Due to water shortage at Guddu and Sukkur barrages, flows into several canals were on a decline,” said Mr Soomro.
Pakistan is estimated to be in the top 10 list of the world’s countries facing water scarcity. Stressing on the cause of water issues, a UN representative cited climate change, floods, and drought as the reason. (ANI)
