Pakistan People's Party rejects proposal for new canals on Indus, warns of water crisis in Sindh

Sindh [Pakistan], November 14 : Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, the President of the Sindh Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Chairman of the Sindh Assembly's Public Accounts Committee, has stated unequivocally that the party will not accept any project aimed at constructing additional canals on the River Indus.
Speaking at a press conference at the Bilawal House Media Cell on Wednesday, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro stressed that the PPP would continue to oppose controversial water reservoir projects in the country.
He also highlighted that the Sindh Assembly had already passed a resolution opposing any such initiatives as reported by The News International.
The PPP leader pointed out that the proposal to build new canals on the Indus River had sparked a critical situation in the country. He explained that two of the six proposed canals were planned to be constructed within Sindh.
He reiterated that the PPP's position on the matter was clear: if there was no surplus water in the river, there was no reason to construct additional canals.
He cautioned that building these canals, despite the existing water scarcity, would lead to diverting water from the river, worsening the water shortage for Sindh.
According to the report The Sindh PPP president also noted that under previous caretaker governments, a plan was introduced to implement corporate farming as part of the Green Pakistan initiative, which required large amounts of land and water.
Additionally, the caretaker administration attempted to amend the Irsa Act, but the move was halted due to strong public opposition.
Khuhro stated that similar attempts to move forward with the project persisted even after the current government took office. He added that Sindh had expressed its concerns and objections to the canal project during a recent meeting of the Capital Development Working Party (CDWP).
He asserted that, according to an agreement between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the PPP was supposed to be consulted on projects related to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
Reflecting on history, Khuhro mentioned that during the tenures of Nawaz Sharif and General Pervez Musharraf, controversial projects such as the Kalabagh Dam and canal constructions were proposed but ultimately stopped due to strong public opposition from Sindh.
He also recalled a significant protest led by the late Benazir Bhutto, along with other political parties, on the Sindh-Punjab border during Nawaz Sharif's second term. Khuhro urged the federal government to take action against the over 150 illegal water-lifting pumps installed between the Punjnad and Guddu Barrage.