NA panel directs ministry to ensure full water quota for Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel has directed the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure supply of full water quota to Balochistan, which since 1992 is getting 32 percent less share.

The National Assembly Standing Committee meeting on water resources which was held here on Thursday also directed the ministry to ensure local recruitments especially from grade one to five against various upcoming vacancies in Diamer-Bhasha Dam project.

Briefing the panel, the ministry officials said the people of Gilgit-Baltistan would be given preference for appointment against junior-level vacancies especially against unskilled positions.

The panel further directed the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the Sindh government to sit together and prepare a comprehensive pre-feasibility report of Sindh Barrage.

MNA Nawab Muhammad Yousuf Talpur, the chairman committee presided over the meeting. The committee was briefed by the senior officials of the ministry who said no financial resources were spent on the advertisement of Diamer-Bhasha and Mehmand dams. Moreover, the Committee was informed that an amount of more than Rs12.63 billion was collected for Diamer-Bhasha and Mehmand dams out of which about more then Rs46 million have been deposited in the bank account, whereas rest of the money has been invested in treasury bills of three-month duration, and the profit, expected to be received on the bills, will also be deposited in the bank account.

The panel asked about the detail of investment in the treasury bills including the permission to make the investment; therefore, the committee directed to furnish a detailed report in its next meeting.

The committee members were informed that the newly-created posts of Grade 1-5 in Diamer-Bhasha Dam project will be filled in by the local candidates of the Gilgit-Baltistan.

Similarly, 124 posts of the project of Grade 1-16 will also be filled in by the candidates of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Standing Committee was informed that the posts of Grade 17 and above shall be filled in on the quota allocated to different regions.

However, the candidates from Gilgit-Baltistan will be given preference. The Standing Committee was informed that about 5,000 posts will be created in Diamer-Bhasha Dam project, and the policy of the government, especially, that of the quota shall be observed, in this regard, in letter and spirit.

The Committee was informed that the Sindh Barrage is proposed to be constructed downstream of the Kotri Barrage. The project was approved by the prime minister of Pakistan in May, 2019.

However, the experts of the Irrigation Department of Sindh have some reservations on the project.

The Standing Committee directed the engineers of the WAPDA and the engineers of the Irrigation Department of Government of Sindh to sit together and come up with a mutually agreed upon pre-feasibility report of the project.

The Standing Committee was informed that according to the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991, the Balochistan province has to receive 3.87 million acre feet but Balochistan has been receiving 32 percent less water then its share for the last 28 years. However, now Balochistan is getting full share of its water.

The Committee showed its serious concerns upon lesser supply of water to Balochistan in previous years.

The committee directed the chairman, IRSA, to ensure proper supply of water to Balochistan.

Moreover, the committee directed the chairman IRSA to personally monitor the situation of water being supplied to Balochistan. The Committee directed that when he felt that Balochistan was getting lesser water then its share, the same must be brought to the notice of the Committee, forthwith so that the Committee can convene its meeting, on urgent basis, to address the issue.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020