Islamabad:
A panel of the National Assembly was told Wednesday that, although the Water Commission of the Indo of Pakistan (PCIW) has the task of involving New Delhi in cross -border problems of the water, the dialog table has remained empty during the last two years due to the reluctance of India to reach the negotiating table.
The Permanent Committee of Na Water Resources, chaired by Ahmad Ateeq Anwar, was convened for an in -depth informative session on the country’s key hydroelectric projects and the growing tension caused by repeated contempt of India by the obligations of the treaty.
Federal Minister of Water Resources Mian Muhammad Muneer Wattoo, the Secretary of Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, the president of Wapda, the LT Gen (RETD) Sajjad Ghani, the former president of Wapda, Shakil Durrani, and the Pakistan water commissioner, Syed Mehr Ali Shah, were in assistance.
The agenda included updates on DASU and Mohmand Dam projects under construction, together with the state of the Hydroopower Neelum Jhelum project.
When heading to the panel, the secretary of water resources said that although the PCIW has the report to initiate conversations with India about shared water resources, there has been radio silence from the other side of the border.
“The Treaty of the Waters of the Indo cannot be suspended unilaterally,” said the secretary, adding that “we will take India’s violations to international arbitration and other global forums.”
He said that under the treaty, Pakistan has full rights over the three Western rivers, while India can only use a limited amount for domestic and agricultural purposes and generate hydroelectric without altering the flow of the river.
“India cannot divert river flow,” he added.
The president of the Committee, Ahmad Atiq Anwar, ordered that the committee on six channel projects be informed, responding to a Dawar Kundi request.
Minister Wattoo added: “Every time the committee wishes, we will organize a visit to the DASU dam site and we will facilitate meetings with the affected communities.”
Wattoo requested discussions about the aggression of the water of India and the violations of the Indo Water Treaty, noting that the Common Interests Council (CCI) had already solved some of the problems.
In his informative session, the president of the WAPDA, the LT Gen (retd) Sajad Ghani, revealed that Pakistan receives 140 million acre-fo (MAF) of water annually, however, he can only store 13 MAF due to sedimentation. “The country has the ability to store up to 20 MAF, but due to current usable storage, it is limited to 13 MAF,” he said.
In addition, he explained that the slime cannot be released, since it would damage the bombings. “The damage to the bombings could severely affect the agricultural sector,” he warned.
