External and Internal water issues faced by Pakistan

These issues require solutions under the Constitution to avoid hunger, famine, death, and water war.

IWT inefficacious on many counts. These are

Silting of replacement storage (Tarbela and Mangla) by about 6.5 maf (Gross storage), requires replenishment by India.

India used wrong definitions of Pondage, Full Pondage level, Surcharge storage, operating pool and run-of-river. India created 38 maf of Live Storage against the permissible of 4.19 maf illegally. There will be no water for Rabi crop. This violation amounts to cheating.

India took perennial water and in return gave time-based storage water and that too on our rivers. This is unjust an

d inequitable.

Pakistan has no control on its rivers allocated to it. These are under the control of India.

Preamble and Article XI (3) guarantees water rights to each party. This is violated.

The Treaty provides modification if water rights are affected or some unseen problem arises.

India uses water as a weapon of hunger, famine, death and genocide against Pakistan . Water is to be used as weapon of mass destruction.

India is planning to build 12 dams on Kabul River. This will further reduce Rabi crop water requirement.

India plans to build 9 dams on the Indus, Jehlum and Chenab Rivers

We have no reaction on Senator John Kerry report. Pakistan should protest to India for violation of the IWT.

Pakistan must report to the Security Council for serious violations as there is fear of nuclear war as feared by John Kerry, John Briscoe and many other authorities.

It is surprising that Pakistan is not the Member of UN Watercourses Convention

Whose duty is to watch, and correctly implement the Treaty.

Internal Water issues faced by Pakistan;

The Kalabagh wrong planning,  created controversy on two counts, and there was statu quo for 37 years as no dam was allowed to be built. This resulted in flood havoc of 2010 and the crippling load shedding destroying economy. This will continue till Katzarah, Guroh Dop, Mirkhani and Fateh Barrage are built.

Climate change is a serious threat. No steps are taken to mitigate it. The building of dams and the creation of more greenery would mitigate it.

Has any flood control and power mitigation projects conceived? If so, What is that.

Rapid silting of reservoir is the greatest danger. What steps are taken to reduce silt, control it and increase the life of Basha Dam and others on the Indus..

IRSA declared its storage water requirement as 22 maf. Which dams would meet these water requirement. Name these with storage capacity.

Please note carefully that Akhori Dam is rejected by Dr Pieter Lieftnick report Vol-I on the grounds that it has weak foundation for a dam height of 250 feet and involves earthwork more than two times of Tarbela Dam. Moreover, to divert Indus water, the height of Tarbela Dam shall have to be raised by 15 feet. Is that possible?

Water Accord para 2, 4, 6, 7, 14 (e) are not implemented for the past 20 years. On the con trary about 6.5 maf of gross storage is lost due to rapid silting. Water Accord has become  unoperative, as water shortage problem is not solved.

It is not possible to solve water shortage problem and hydropower shortage. It is not possible to control super floods. It is not possible to control silt problem. It is not possible to irrigated new area. It is not possible to avoid all wastage as required in para 14 (e) of the Water Accord unless Integrated Comprehensive Water Management of the total water available is taken in hand.

According to record, the total water is 142 maf on the average. Out of this 105 maf is diverted into the Indus Basin Canal irrigation System designed in 1859. This system has become obsolete, incompatible, and highly wasteful, wasting 50 per cent water that enters the canals. Another about 35 maf of water is wasted as floodwater to sea on the average. The water that enters the canals of about 105 maf, about 50% that is about 71 maf is wasted. Again, India would divert about 38 maf in winter. The water to be available for crops would be about 71-38= 33 maf. It is necessary that we should take care of this horrible situation.

It is surprising that the world’s largest contiguous canal irrigation system is without its integral component of drainage system. This has resulted in salinity and sodicity besides water logging.This will render the Indus Basin infertile. Then water will be of no use when land goes saline waste.

Two mega drainage projects of SCARPs and NDP based on wrong tube well concept to control salinity failed one after the other. Later on, WAPDA abandoned the provision of drainage. It is surprising no body knows the correct technical definitions of Drainage, Irrigation, Leaching and Water Management. I can provide if asked for.

Farmers knowing that groundwater is available installed more than one million private small tube wells, pumping about 50 maf of drainage effluent as groundwater. This injects about 350 million tons of injurious salts each year into the lands rendering it infertile. The process of salinity is going on unknowingly and invisibly.

Lacy canal system has become obsolete and highly wasteful besides incompatible to meet crop water requirements in time and in proper dozes. It needs modernization by carrying our integrated comprehensive water management as per its true definition. The canal system be redesigned as per Mannings Formula and the one million miles of water courses be replaced by pipe supply, using Sprinkler and Drip irrigation methods replacing the obsolete Warabandi.

Salinity and sodicity is a great problem. This needs control by maintaining water table and evacuating excessive salts out of the area.

All natural drains in the country are blocked by encroachments in violation of the Canal and Drainage Act of 1857. This needs revival. Sindh is a drainage bowl of the Indus basin and flood water of 2010 and rainwater 2011 is still standing as the major dams have been silted up.  

All Pakistan Grand Canal from Chashma barrage proposed by me in 1961 is ignored. This gravity flow canal will pass through Sibi Town, irrigating all the four provinces, specially the Kachi plain. Kachi canal failed once and now is taken off from Taunsa barrage.

It will be in the interest of development to shift the head quarters of WAPDA and the Commissioner Water from Lahore to Islamabad as of IRSA for better coordination.

Poor governance, political interference and controversies have stopped water and power development since 1974. This resulted in crippling load shedding, water shortage, and rapid Constitution. The Government that fails to implement this programme should be disqualified for 10 years.

Recommendation

The Government has taken initial step to solve these issues. This is a colossal job for the survival of Pakistan. My experience shows that a foreign company, like HARZA who worked in the Indus basin Pakistan for 40 years be appointed as General Consultants to the Ministry of Water or IRSA to prepare a preliminary report on these issues. The next, the Chinese Consultants be considered.