Canals project cannot be executed without CCI’s approval, says Murad

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has opposed the proposed Cholistan Canal project, deeming it unconstitutional and a violation of Sindh's water rights.

Appearing on a private TV news channel, he emphasised that such a project could not proceed without the approval of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and a consensus among the provinces. He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to immediately convene a CCI meeting to address the issue.

Giving historical context and opposition to the project, Shah clarified that the idea of developing Cholistan through irrigation canals was not new. It was first proposed over a century ago during the British rule in 1919, but the British government rejected Punjab's proposal, stating that the region was not suitable for settlement.

Shah revealed that during the tenure of the previous caretaker government, the Punjab government revived the scheme and sought a no objection certificate (NOC) for water allocation from the Indus River System Authority (Irsa). Punjab's justification was that 27 million acre feet (MAF) of water flew downstream Kotri annually, implying that enough water was available, he said. However, he disputed these figures, arguing that the actual flow had significantly decreased over time.

The CM cited historical data stating that from 1976 to 1999, the average downstream flow at Kotri was 35 MAF. By 2023, the average had declined to 27 MAF. Over the past 25 years, it had dropped further to just 17 MAF. “We demand a minimum of 10 MAF, yet currently, only 8.5 MAF reaches downstream at Kotri,” he said.

On the basis of these figures, Shah questioned the justification for allocating additional water to Punjab, arguing that Sindh's water resources were already under strain. To a question, the CM dismissed the claim that President Asif Ali Zardari had approved the project. "No project is approved by the president," he asserted, explaining that such matters fell under the jurisdiction of relevant government bodies and required provincial consensus.

Shah cited several examples, stating that the Shahrah-e-Bhutto project in Sindh was not approved by President Zardari. Major Thar development projects were also undertaken without any presidential approval.

The CM clarified that while the president may support projects, actual decision-making powers lied with provincial and federal bodies such as Irsa, CCI and Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec).

He elaborated that of the six canals being discussed under this project, two canals already existed and were part of old irrigation systems. “Two proposed canals in Sindh [Thar and Reni Canals] were discussed but never formally initiated,” he said and added that two proposed canals in Punjab, the Cholistan Canal and Chobara Canal (part of the Greater Thal Canal expansion), were the primary concerns. “No new canals could be constructed without an approval from the CCI, which had not yet convened a meeting on the issue,” he maintained.

He said the Sindh government had formally challenged the project in the CCI and raised objections to Irsa’s approval of water allocation. He insisted that the project could not proceed until the CCI issued a ruling.

Shah also revealed that in Cholistan, the Punjab government had already allocated land for the Green Pakistan Initiative, where tube wells and subsoil water were being used for irrigation. He insisted that building a canal across 300 kilometres in the region was unacceptable.

He stated that the Sindh Assembly had also passed a resolution against the Cholistan Canal project, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and opposition parties in Sindh were united in their protest.

The CM called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take a clear stance and reject the project unless a proper consultation process was followed. The Sindh government was firm in its opposition to the Cholistan Canal project due to concerns over water scarcity, legal violations and lack of provincial consensus, Shah said, adding that the final decision now rested with the federal government and the CCI, which had yet to hold a meeting on the matter.