Sindh Govt Forms Review Committee To Finalize UN 'Living Indus Initiative'

Sindh government has formed a committee comprising of ministers and officers from different departments to review the proposed programmes and suggestions mentioned in the draft of United Nations "living Indus initiative" to improve water quality and quantity and also to restore the health of the Indus Basin

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th May, 2022 ) :Sindh government has formed a committee comprising of ministers and officers from different departments to review the proposed programmes and suggestions mentioned in the draft of United Nations "living Indus initiative" to improve water quality and quantity and also to restore the health of the Indus Basin.

Sindh Minister for Irrigation Department Jam Khan Shoro, Sindh Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development, Muhammad Ismail Raho, Parliamentry Secretary for Health, Qasim Siraj Soomro, MPA Pir Mujeeb and officers from the Environment Protection Agency, Sindh, Planing and Development and others relevant departments would be part of the committee.

The review committee has to submit its final recommendations and suggestions to the office of United Nations Resident Coordinator for Pakistan before the 1st of June, 2022 as to finalize the draft.

This was decided in a meeting with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, Julien Harneis and others UN officials held at Clifton Karachi. The meeting was attended by Sindh Ministers including Jam Khan Shoro, Ismail Rahoo, Parliamentry Secretary for Health Qasim Soomro, MPA Pir Mujeeb and others.

During the meeting, UN Resident Coordinator, Julien Harneis said that we had started work on "living Indus Initiative" under the Prime Minster's climate change committee last year in the month of December and it was realised that there would be made some kind of institutional arrangements that would make sure the suggestions would be proposed to make healthier the Indus Basin.

"Living Indus Initiative" was proposed for Pakistan as the beginning of the conversation to serious efforts to restore the health of the Indus Basin. He (Julien Harneis) said the water quality of Indus River has contaminated and we need to engage the society to change their perception and attitudes in order to conserve water and quality of water and to save it from getting it more polluted.

On this occasion, Sindh Minister Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro said that the volume of water has been reduced in the Indus River and even, there was not enough water available for cultivation purposes and province is facing severe scarcity of water which was leading to sea intrusion and other ecological problems.

He said that, Indus Basin was also facing a big problem of sedimentation at Guddu and Kotri areas. He further said that the water quality of Indus River has also been contaminated due to the disposal of toxic chemicals and industrial effluents which entered in the Indus River.

Provincial Minister Jam Khan Shoro said that Sindh province was working on its water policy which was under its final stage and soon would be finalized.