‘New reservoir must to end early water shortages in Sindh, Balochistan’

LAHORE: Development of additional water reservoirs on an urgent basis is of utmost importance for ending the early kharif water shortages of Sindh and Balochistan, said MH Siddiqi, a veteran water regulator at a function.

The summer water demand of Sindh and Balochistan picks up from March every year, as their kharif sowing period is about a month earlier than the plains of Punjab. As Tarbela Dam has lost its live storage by about one-third---from 9.5 million acre feet to nearly 6MAF, water availability during March and April is getting squeezed every year.

“We usually don’t have carryover stock in reservoirs after March 10 and run-of-the-river supplies are only available for utilisation at the onset of the summer season. This worrying development creates direct negative impact on crops due to lack of sufficient water in lower riparian provinces of Sindh and Balochistan,” Siddiqi said while addressing a select group of farmers and media at an event.

Having experience of over 60 years in water distribution and regulation, MH Siddiqi is presently working with the Punjab Irrigation Department for handling water management affairs.  He is responsible for planning optimal utilisation of available water resources in addition to interacting with the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) about shares of provinces, delivering paramount services for running an efficient canal water management system. At the age of 90, MH Siddiqi is as active as his fellow officials.

In order to get an insight into his thoughts, several farm leaders have gathered in Lahore Press Club to pay tribute to his untiring and selfless services. The representatives of farmer organisations, including Agri-Forum Pakistan chairman Ibrahim Mughal, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad president Khalid Khokhar, Kissan Board Pakistan vice president Sarfraz Khan, Farmers Associates of Pakistan founding member Farooq Bajwa, and Sindh Tas Council president Muhammad Suleman Khan, gave Siddiqi the title of ‘Protector of Water’ on the occasion. 

Siddiqi said he has raised the issue of increasing water storage capacity on River Indus during a recent meeting held in the federal capital. The Sindhis and Baloch would get most from the new storage at a time of acute shortages, he said, and added that unfortunately, this issue was not being fully understood.

He said Mangla Dam was fed from the glaciers of lower and mid-level reaches, and thus needed to be filled earlier. “As we start to store water in Mangla for subsequent use in pabi for wheat sowing, Sindh started objecting to the storage mechanism and demanded water for use from March-April,” he explained.  “It is not possible as water level of Mangla needs to rise to 1,180 feet till May 20 if we want to ensure its filling to full capacity in later months when its flows dwindles fast unlike River Indus,” MH Siddiqi added.Discussing the Indus Water Treaty with special focus on the Indian mindset, he also discussed Water Apportionment Accord and role of IRSA in smooth sharing of water among provinces.