Green Pakistan Initiative: Water ministry informs NA about current status of canals

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Water Resources on Monday presented a detailed report in the National Assembly with regard to the current status of canals being constructed under the Green Pakistan Initiative.

Furnishing details on the query of Syed Naveed Qamar, the Ministry of Water Resources stated that for the smaller Cholistan canal of Punjab, the non-perennial Sindh had submitted a summary to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on 15-11-2024, with the request to nullify water availability certificate issued by Indus River System Authority (Irsa) for this project.

According to the ministry, as per the proposal of Provincial Irrigation Department of Punjab the existing arrangement of inter-river water transfer through rehabilitation and upgradation of Rasul Qadirabad, Qadirabad Balloki and Balloki Sulemanki link canals shall be utilised to convey the supplies to Cholistan canal. The details of the strategic canals included in Green Pakistan Initiative are as under:

Smaller Cholistan canal, for which Irsa issued water availability certificate on 25-01-2024, is being sponsored and executed by the Punjab government, while the PC-I of this project was recommended by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) to Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on 20-09-2024 at an estimated cost of Rs225.34 billion but this PC-1 had yet not been considered by the Ecnec.

Thar canal of Sindh, for which NOC was not applied, Wapda submitted PC-1, costing Rs212 billion. The Sindh government has yet to apply to Irsa for grant of water availability certificate and the project is still unapproved.

For Greater Thal canal in Punjab, which is non-perennial, Irsa issued water availability certificate on 08-05-2002, stating that Phase-I of the canal had already been completed by Wapda in 2008 at a cost of Rs10.17 billion, and handed over to the Punjab government in 2010. The Ecnec in its meeting held on 07-02-2024, approved PC-1 of phase-II of the project subject to approval by the CCI. The Sindh government submitted a summary in CCI on 27-11-2024 submitting that implementation of phase-II may be stopped.

For Rainee canal of Sindh, a non-perennial, Irsa issued water availability certificate on 03-09-2002. Phase-I of the canal was completed by Wapda in 2014 at a cost of Rs17.886 billion, and handed over to Sindh government in 2022. During a consultative meeting on 12-02-2024, the Sindh government declined proposal for execution of phase-11 of the project.

Irsa issued water availability certificate for Kachhi canal of Balochistan on 04-10-2003, which is yet not approved by the competent authority. Kachhi canal Phase-I (Part-B) for irrigation of 30,000 acres of land was approved by the Ecnec on 16-03-2020 at an estimated cost of Rs22.92 billion. This project is in advanced stage of completion with 98 per cent physical progress. Releases to this project up to March 2025 amounted to Rs22.921 billion. The Wapda has prepared PC-1 of Phase-II of the project costing Rs70 billion, for irrigation of 26,7000 acres of land. This has yet not been approved by the competent forum.

Irsa issued water availability certificate for CRBC (L&G) for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, perennial, on 04-04-2005, and its PC-I was approved by the Ecnec on 07-10-2022 at an estimated cost of Rs189.61 billion. The project is under award process. Rs341 million has been released for the project up to March 2025.

In reply to a question of Javed Hanif Khan, the Ministry of Water Resources told the National Assembly that the repeated closure of Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project has caused billions in losses to the national exchequer. It stated that the estimated annual generation loss due to closure of the project was about Rs42 billion.

It added in view of emergency, remedial works will be carried out through negotiated tendering and estimated remedial works cost can be determined after the negotiations were completed and contract was signed.

For probing into the matter, fixing responsibility and to recommend remedial measures for rehabilitation, the federal government has constituted three different committees whose outcome was awaited. In addition, a Canadian-based consulting firm Dean Brox Consulting has been engaged for investigating and fixing responsibility.

Dean Brox, director of the firm, visited the project site from 01 to 07 February 2025 and again from 21 February to 27 February 2025. M/s Dean Brox has submitted the draft Report on 18 March 2025,which is being reviewed.

Besides, an Independent Panel of Experts (IPOE) has been engaged, which visited the project in September 2024, submitted their first draft report in December 2024 and second draft report in January 2025.