KARACHI: Water experts and engineers at a seminar discussed Sindh Water Policy draft and urged for comprehensive water policy at the provincial and national level to avoid wasting the precious commodity.
The seminar “Formation of Sindh Water Policy” was organised by Sindh government with the support of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) and Trocaire, an Irish based development organisation at a local hotel on Tuesday. Speakers agreed that the lack of policy had instigated inter-provincial rifts on many occasions.
Sindh Minister for Health Dr Sikandar Mandhro, who was the chief guest, said they needed standard policy to resolve the water issues. “We have conflict on water with India and at the inter-provincial level,” he said, and added that the lower riparian always cried against the injustices of the upper riparian.
Mandhro asked for equal distribution of water so everybody received their due share without any fear. “Water policy should be formulated with the suggestions of the tail-enders,” he said.
Draft of the proposed water policy was presented by Mustafa Talpur, who has been discussing water politics for more than a couple of decades.
Talpur agreed that mismanagement was a major problem in distributing water in Sindh, where some people were wasting the commodity while lands of others were dying of thirst. He said success was impossible in the presence of the old institutions and their old approach, and also urged for the participation of women in formulating the water policy.
Indus River system, its ecology, lakes, groundwater and drainage system, human health and domestic use of water should also be part of the water policy, he said.
Talpur said no single city in Sindh had clean drinking water and proper drainage system with the exception of Moen-jo-Daro, which existed around 5,000 years ago.
Calling to put an end to theft of the precious commodity, he said non-perennial canals in Sindh were either illegally becoming perennial canals or were drying more water than their allocation.
Talpur said it was alarming that many people in lower Sindh were using saline water of the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) for irrigation, which would damage the soil system and fertility. He also urged for restoration of natural water ways.
SIDA former chairman brigadier (retd) Abdul Haq said without implementation, policies were nothing but paper. “Experts should also chalk out ways to implement the water policy,” he suggested. He also said water theft was a big issue in the province with illegal water outlets. SIDA General Manager Transition Naseer Essani said Sindh approved the labour policy last week, and now agriculture policy and water policy were the need of the hour.
Pakistan government had announced preparation of National Water Policy in 2003-4, but it was yet to be formulated, he said.
He informed they had initiated preparations for a Water Policy in Sindh and held dialogue with the people of non-canal command area Tharparkar. During preparation of the draft, meetings were held with experts of water, agriculture and other sectors, he said, and added, “Policy will be developed in the next phase.”
SIDA Chairman M Nawaz Chandio, Sindh Irrigation Department’s Muhammad Aslam Ansari, former irrigation secretary Idrees Rajput, former federal secretary Fazalullah Qureshi, Sindh Agriculture Growth Project Co-ordinator Fateh Muhammad Marri, Sindh Abadgar Board Senior Vice President Mehmood Nawaz Shah, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Qabool Muhammad Khatian and others also addressed the seminar.
from The News International - Business http://ift.tt/2HPQn1Y
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