Minister for releasing water downstream Kotri Barrage

The Sindh Minister for Power, Ms Shazia Marri, has said that due to scarcity of fresh water and intrusion of sea water, the areas downstream Kotri Barrage were ecologically in worst condition and appealed to all stakeholders and opinion leaders to understand the importance of releasing water downstream Kotri Barrage, which according to her was very much essential for the protection of the biodiversity in the areas.
Addressing the "4th Annual Planning and Networking Meeting" organised by the management of 'Indus for All Programme WWF - Pakistan' at a local hotel on Thursday, Ms Shazia Marri said that Senate Committee on this subject has also came on the same conclusion as she is narrating. She said that it was not the matter of Kalabagh Dam but it was the matter of biodiversity of the region. She said that merger of sweet water into brackish water of sea was very essential for the protection of eco-system.
She said that PPP was giving importance to the environment and to stop environmental and ecological degradation. She said that PPP in its manifesto has privatised 5 sectors under 5-E programme for the development and added that one of these belonged to environment. Listing the projects and programmes, which launched by PPP government for bringing improvement in the environment, Ms Shazia Marri said that massive plantation in Thatta District carried out in PPP government was recorded in Gunnies World of Book records.
She said that 65 percent areas of Sindh fallen in one of five identified eco-region, which need collective efforts both from public and private sector in addition to NGOs and environment oriented organisation to protect these from degradation. She said that work done by WWF in this sector was appreciable. She said that it was also pride of us that 10 out of 19 Ramsar sites were in our province as such we must increase our efforts for the protection and conservation of these sites.
She said that environment was not a subject which can only be improved by government itself. She said regretted and said that we utilise environment but not contribute in its improvement due to illiteracy in term of education or our negative behaviour. Though today in addition to government organisations, WWF was working for the improvement in environment with 400 workforce but without contribution of individual or community, we cannot achieve considerable result. She was also of the opinion that it was the people who add the environmental problem around themselves. She said that when an individual become responsible for maintaining cleanliness then his / her younger will follow the practice and this cycle will convert whole society as responsible for environmental protection.
Congratulating the reporters who won the shields on account of their performance for creating environmental awareness among the masses, she termed them as best contributors and ambassadors of environment and added that electronic and print media can play vital role in the awareness and citizen responsibilities for the improvement in the environment. She also launched two publications brought out by the management of WWF for the awareness and education about environment and also presented shields to the reporters from print and electronic media for their best services towards environmental awareness.
Earlier, the Co-ordinator Indus for All Programme WWF - Pakistan Nasir Panhwar in his key note address said that as many as 14 privatised sites had been identified for natural resource management to improve livelihood and sustainable development of the region. He said that in collaboration with the Sindh Government, WWF - Pakistan has developed a 50-year ecoregion plan including a vision and identified 14 privatised sites within the region.