Pakistan: Sindh's water crisis deepens as farmers protest against proposed canals

They held a rally organised by the Anti-Canals Action Committee, a coalition of three farming organizations Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB), Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA), and Sindh Abadgar Ittehad (SAI).

The Sindh United Abadgar Forum, affiliated with the Sindh United Party, is also a member of this coalition as reported by Dawn.

According to the report, the demonstrators stated that the new canals, authorised by the Central Development Working Party, threatened the livelihoods of millions in Sindh. SAB president Mahmood Nawaz Shah emphasised that the farmers were protesting "for the welfare of this country and Sindh."

He criticised the decision to build canals to irrigate the Cholistan desert, asking, "Why create canals to water a desert and turn fertile lands into barren land? What's the reasoning behind this?"

Shah further raised concerns about the use of excess water for these canals, pointing out that Sindh's water problems have existed for over 150 years, not since 1935. He further claimed that the British colonists had acknowledged that Sindh once had more cultivated land than Punjab.

The report further stated that He stated that farmers would not support "illegitimate projects" and questioned the approval given by those who "swear an oath on the holy book to remain loyal to the country."

SCA's Miran Mohammad Shah urged Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, whose PPP is part of the federal government coalition, to lead the farmers' protest, just as his mother, Benazir Bhutto, did. He was referring to the protest against the Kalabagh Dam led by Benazir Bhutto in August 1998 in Ubauro, Ghotki.

Shah stated that this is a matter affecting the entire country, not just Sindh or Punjab.

He urged the urban population, particularly the people of Karachi, to "understand the seriousness of the situation," as the K-IV project, designed to supply water to the city from the Kotri barrage, would be ineffective if the barrage itself lacked water.

Miran expressed confusion, questioning whether policymakers were lacking in wisdom or simply indifferent to the reality that the water flow downstream of the Kotri Barrage is zero under normal conditions.

He added that if these canals were constructed, all of Sindh would become barren.

The report further stated that SAI president Zubair Talpur condemned the project and questioned the future of existing lands in Sindh if new lands were to be irrigated in a desert. He pointed out that Sindh was already struggling with the issue of not receiving its rightful share of water as per the 1991 Water Accord.

SCA vice president Nabi Bux Sathio presented data from the Indus River System Authority, revealing that between 1999 and 2023, Sindh experienced a greater water shortage (40 per cent) compared to Punjab (15 per cent).

He argued that the federal government should invest Rs240 billion in the Diamer-Bhasha dam rather than the Cholistan canal, which would "ruin 12 million acres of agricultural land in Sindh to irrigate 1.2 million acres of the Cholistan desert."

Syed Zain Shah, convener of the Sindhu Darya Bachayao Committee, warned that Sindh would experience significant migration within 10 years if water from the Indus River is diverted to these six canals.

He asserted that the new canals would "devastate" Sindh and called on the federation to make a "wise decision" and cancel the project. Bashir Shah of the Sindh United Abadgar Forum emphasised that the province would never compromise on three key issues: language, homeland, and water.

He also urged the president to revoke the decision made during the July 8 meeting. Other speakers at the protest included Syed Nadeem Shah, Zahid Bhurgari, Mir Zafarullah, Mohib Marri, Zulfikar Yousfani, and former Sindh advocate general Yusuf Leghari. Leghari appealed to the lawyers' associations to hold weekly court boycotts to raise awareness of the issue within the judiciary. (ANI)