Sindh’s prime minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said Thursday that the federal government cannot proceed with the controversial Marot Canal project without Sindh’s consent, warning that the Popular Party of Pakistan (PPP) would resist any movement of this type.
“How can the channel be built when you haven’t even received approval?” Shah asked, firmly opposes the proposed construction during an informative media session in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh.
He declared that as long as the PPP exists, the channel would not be built, and added that instead of opposing the channels, some political parties had resorted to protest against the PPP itself.
The Marot channel is a proposed irrigation channel designed to run from the flood of Sulemanki on the Sutlej River to Fort Abbas in the Cholistan desert.
Clarifying the current status of the project, Shah said that only a preliminary profile was made that covered a few hundred feet in July, which does not equal the beginning of the construction. He criticized several media for “disseminating erroneous information” and urged responsible journalism about the matter.
Highlighting the commitment of his party to defend Sindh’s interests, Shah said the PPP was prepared to make any sacrifice to protect the rights of the province.
He went to the past accusations that former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto allocated funds for the Kalabagh dam, saying that such statements were unfounded and had been refuted.
Shah emphasized that the Constitution requires that the provinces be consulted on water -related matters.
“They cannot evade this problem; the Constitution requires a provincial consultation on water affairs,” he said, revealing that the Sindh government had repeatedly requested a meeting of the Common Interests Council (CCI) to discuss the project, but had not yet received an answer.
According to Shah, the Indo River System Authority (IRSA) approved the Punjab application of 0.8 million acres-pies (MAF) of water for the Marot channel project, a decision that has caused a strong opposition from Sindh.
He pointed out that Punjab justifies his demand citing historical data from 1976 to 2022, which shows an average of 27 MAF of water that flows downstream to Kotri’s flood annually. While the officially required environmental flow is 8.5 MAF, Shah said the real requirement must be 10 MAF.
However, Sindh argues that at least 20.5 MAF is necessary to prevent seawater intrusion and preserve the Indo Delta ecosystem.
With a national scarcity of national water of 11 MAF and only 8 MAF that arrive at the Arabic Sea, Punjab argues that the remaining 7 MAF constitutes surplus water. Shah warned that greater fun could deepen the shortage of water in the agricultural areas of Sindh and endanger the delta.
He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to officially discard the Marot Canal project, noting that both federal governments and Sindh had already opposed in the central development work party. He emphasized the need for interprovincial harmony and warned against actions that could increase tensions.
