HYDERABAD:
Sindh’s farmers have rejected Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s stance in favour of the controversial Cholistan Canal, blaming her for attempting to resuscitate a ‘dead horse’. A meeting of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA), chaired by its president Dr Nadeem Qamar, reiterated the outright rejection of any dam or canal project on the Indus River.
Qamar stated, “the people and farmers of Sindh will never allow construction of any canal or dam on the Indus,” pointing out that, as far as figures provided by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) are concerned, the water allocation for Sindh stands at 48 million acre feet (MAF). However, he contended that Sindh only receives around 41 MAF, while Punjab is drawing 55 MAF by stealing 7 MAF from Sindh’s share, and called for Punjab to “be held accountable” for this.
The SCA president blamed the Punjab government’s alleged mismanagement for the recent flood-triggered devastation. He claimed, “in order to divert public attention away from the flood catastrophe, the Punjab government has floated the idea of new canals,” accusing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N’s) leadership of playing the Punjab card. Furthermore, he stated, “while advocating for Cholistan, Maryam Nawaz should also tell the public that the proposed canal isn’t meant to benefit them but a select group of corporate entities.”
Qamar advised the Punjab government to remove illegal encroachments on Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers and to restore the rivers’ natural pathways. He cautioned that during water shortage in Chenab, Sutlej and Ravi rivers, the water allocated to lands irrigated through the Trimmu and Panjnad barrages will also be diverted towards corporate farming. “Cholistan canal won’t just deprive Sindh’s farmers of their water share but also Punjab’s own farmers, as the water will be rechanneled towards corporate farming,” he noted.
