‘Proposed amendments to Irsa law can harm interprovincial harmony’

HYDERABAD: The meeting of the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) was held at its office in Hyderabad, and was attended by growers from different districts, who claimed that the proposed amendments to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) Act can harm interprovincial harmony.

Holding a detailed discussion on the proposed amendments, the meeting said the Irsa Act was preceded by the Water Accord of 1991. The purpose of Irsa is only to implement the Water Accord.

They said the Water Accord had been signed and agreed to by all the provinces after decades of disagreements on the utilisation of water in different provinces. In the Water Accord and in the implementation process, interprovincial harmony is paramount, they added.

They pointed out that in case of disagreements, the next forum for discussion is the Council of Common Interests, which by itself is a prime constitutional body ensuring provincial voice in decision-making.

They said that the proposed changes to the Irsa law seem to vest the authority in the chairperson, who would not be an expert on irrigation or hydrology, or have the relevant experience. They feared that the way it is being proposed to be structured would silence the voices of the provinces in decision-making.

They also said that the powers to be given to the chairperson would lead to decisions they deem right. This will lead to disputes and disagreements, thereby impacting interprovincial harmony, they added.

The meeting lamented the way the federal government is trying to amend the law. They said that there are already disputes about water distribution and governance, adding that making changes to it so that the Centre’s arbitrary decisions become easier to implement would only worsen the problems and challenges.

The SAB, therefore, demanded that the proposed amendments be withdrawn immediately. The growers also discussed the widespread losses of cotton, paddies, onions, tomatoes and other vegetables, with the Badin and Mirpurkhas districts affected severely, first by heatwaves, then by rains and floods.

They said cotton has been affected by up to 50 per cent already, adding that there has been abortion in the early sown paddies, affecting the grain formation. They lamented that these widespread losses are further aggravating the situation by rising input costs and reduction in the commodity prices.

The growers said that last year the cotton price had been notified at Rs8,500, and since then the cost of production has risen, but the price of cotton is in the range of Rs5,500 to Rs6,500. They said that this year the growers would suffer losses due to production shortage, lower prices of the commodities, and climate change.

The meeting was chaired by Mahmood Nawaz Shah, and was attended by Dr Bashir Nizamani, Syed Nadeem Shah, Sarfaraz Junejo, Irfan Jatoi, Mohammed Aslam Mari, Imran Bozdar, Mohammed Taha, Masroor Soomro, Murad Ali Shah, Imran Ahmed Khero and others.