Sindh CM asks deputy PM to stop construction of Cholistan Canal

KARACHI: Expressing his reservations about the Cholistan Canal, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has asked Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to stop construction on the canal.

As per the official letter, the copy of which is available with ‘The News’ and was sent to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, the Sindh CM urged that the agenda item of the upcoming ECNEC meeting be deferred, and the office of the Deputy PM should advise the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) forum to recall the decision till the decision of the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The chief minister told the deputy PM that the proposed project has trigerred a large-scale protest move by all political parties, civil society and agricultural organisations.

The CM said that the Punjab province’s project of ‘Construction of Cholistan Canal’ was considered in the CDWP meeting on October 11, 2024 and it recommended placing the issue before ECNEC despite repeated agitation by Sindh. The project envisages construction of a feeder channel from Sulemanki Headwork with design discharge of 4,122 cusecs and four new canal systems i.e. New Fateh Canal System, New Murad Canal System, New Hakra Canal System and New Haran Canal System, which will feed canal command area of 610,237 acres in Bhawalnagar and Bahawalpur. Shah added that the government of Punjab is relying on water availability certificate given by IRSA after the January 17 meeting where the member of IRSA Sindh had recorded his dissent. He clarified that the Sindh province has serious reservations on the grant of water availability certificate by IRSA. He said lower riparian provinces faced even more than 50 percent of shortage during several early Kharif seasons which inflicts a loss of billions on the agrarian economy of the Sindh.

Shah was of the opinion that the ECNEC in its meeting held on February 7, 2024 considered the subject project titled “Development of National Irrigation Network for Green Pakistan Initiative,” and approved the proposal in the summary related to seeking NOC from IRSA and building consensus of the provinces for new canal projects. He linked it to the approval of the CCI, thus, the consensus on the project and approval by CCI were mandatory before consideration of the project.

He further said that the Sindh has already moved the case for consideration of CCI which is pending. It was ensured that the project will be deferred until it is placed and decided by the CCI but surprisingly, during the CDWP meeting held on October 11, 2024 the project was recommended for ECNEC albeit conditionally, despite clear objections by Sindh.