Consultative Workshop Suggests A Federal Commission To Take Up Issue Of Pollution Of Waterways

In a consultative workshop with the experts preparing Sindh's water policy, the journalists suggested a review of the 1991 Water Accord, supply of water to the tail end areas and specially Karachi and adoption of modern irrigation methods to conserve water

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Feb, 2021 ):In a consultative workshop with the experts preparing Sindh's water policy, the journalists suggested a review of the 1991 Water Accord, supply of water to the tail end areas and specially Karachi and adoption of modern irrigation methods to conserve water. The workshop, in which the suggestions and questions of the media workers were taken for preparation of the Sindh government's water policy, was held at the office of Sindh Information and Drainage Authority (SIDA) here on Thursday. The experts preparing the policy including Netherland's Dr Frank Van Steen Bargen, Dr Hemandas Lohano and Dr Bakshal Khan Lashari attended the event through video conference, took questions and recommendations of the media workers and briefed about the salient policy features. The Manager Operations SIDA Jai Ram Bhatia informed that the authority began work on preparing an overarching water policy in 2017.During the past three years the local communities residing in the mountainous, barrage and desert areas of Sindh were consulted over the policy. He added that the farmers, civil society and women were also taken on board while devising the policy.

Dr. Bargen said the policy contained 6 basic features including water management, canal and drainage systems management, water management in barren areas, managing wetlands, drainage of wastewater and supply of water to the urban areas.

"The policy will provide guidelines for supply of water for agriculture and to the urban and rural areas and industries," he added.

Senior journalist G N Mughal said the 1991 Water Accord required revision and stricter regulation as at least 3 provisions of the accord had already been violated. He also highlighted the menace of contamination of the waterways by the effluents from the industrial areas as well as by the municipal wastewater. "There is a dire need to form a dedicated commission at the federal level which will take up this issue of pollution of the waterways with harmful chemicals which is endangering the lives of all the people and livestock," he observed. Senior journalist Ishaq Mangrio emphasized on the need of preparing a policy for the villages and populations in the mountainous regions whose survival depended on the use of the seasonal rainwater streams. "Nai Gaj dam and Darawat dam have cut of the natural flow of the hill torrents to those hundreds of villages. The water policy should lay down rights of those people over the mountain streams," he suggested. Another journalist Muhammad Hussain Khan pointed out that the crop zoning was not being implemented in Sindh which had resulted in excessive use of water for irrigation. The SIDA's Chairman Basit Soomro informed that 3 more canals on the right bank of Indus river would soon be handed over to SIDA.