KARACHI: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday criticized the federal government for failing to fairly distribute water and depriving Sindh of its due water share.
He said the PTI-led federal government is on a run to block Sindh’s water and did not refrain from its unjust steps during Ramazan and Eid.
In a statement issued, Bilawal said that Karachi, Badin, Sujawal, Thatta, and Tharparkar have been facing water shortages in recent days due to the brutal policies of the federal government. He cautioned that stopping water supply to Sindh at the time of sowing seeds could prove to be disastrous for rice cultivation and the textile sector.
He urged Indus River System Authority (IRSA) officials to clarify that on whose orders was the share of water for Sindh being reduced.
The PPP chairman said the PTI government was deliberately creating a water crisis in Sindh and will be held “responsible for any consequences”.
Read Also | PM regrets lambasting FO officials live on TV
Bilawal said that Imran Khan should “immediately stop the efforts to barren the lands of Sindh.” He added that other provinces – including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan – have the right to get their due share in water under the agreed formula.
He accused IRSA of misusing its authority by cutting the water level in Sindh by 15-20% and demanded that the authority should stop the process of causing a permanent blow to Sindh under its controversial three-tier formula.
In response to Bilawal’s allegations, IRSA spokesman Muhammad Khalid Rana said that water was naturally short in the rivers due to which the water supply to Sindh had to be declined for some days but the situation is under control now.
Rana said that during the cultivation of cotton, Sindh was getting more water supply as compared to Punjab.
SAPM for Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema said that ISRA takes steps related to water distribution by the consensus of all provinces.