Sindh Protests Over Indus Canals, Zardari Urges Govt to Reconsider

ISLAMABAD: Countrywide protests and rallies are being conducted throughout Sindh against the federal government over its ‘highly controversial and most-hated’ decision of constructing six new canals from the Indus River, a plan which has been strongly condemned here by the Sindh populace as a threat to the very lifeline of the province.

The delta of the Indus River has decreased considerably, already hurting agriculture, drinking water supplies and millions of people who depend on the river, which is losing water due to excessive withdrawal and climate change. Protests contend that new canals during construction will strip more of the river bequeathing a thirsty Sindh and hastening ecological collapse.

As tensions grew, President Asif Ali Zardari delivered an uncharacteristic address to a joint session of Parliament on Monday to open the new parliamentary year, taking a tough line on the matter.

Zardari against diluting new canals, suggests consensus

President Zardari rejected the government decision to channelize additional water through new canals unilaterally in his speech.

Zardari called this proposal as not one that he, as your President, could bring himself to support and drew attention to the intractable opposition to it in Sindh and other federating units.

“This government needs to discard this inflexible proposal and collaborate with all stakeholders to develop feasible, sustainable solutions through unanimous agreement of the federating units,” he added.

The President also reminded the gathering of the great burden of responsibility that they carry:

Today as we return to this House for another parliamentary year, I call upon all, in this place, to focus on the business of good governance, political and economic stability, Our people have put their hope on parliament and we should not disappoint them.

Parliament Adjourned as Opposition Parties Hold Protest

Opposition parties protested in siAs President Zardari made his address, opposition parties were protesting loudly, raising slogans against the government policies. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Asifa Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, and Governor KP Faisal Karim Kundi, as well as some federal ministers, attended the joint session.

Indus River Crisis Deepens

For some time now, experts have been warning that Sindh has started to feel the consequences of having less water reaching its rivers, with the consequent intrusion of the sea, loss of agricultural land and rivers which are losing their fresh-water ecosystems. Local communities displaced and biodiversity damaged as the outfall of the Indus Delta will dry up.

According to many, the suggested canals mean a ‘death knell’ for Sindh’s agriculture and water security. However, in different parts of the province, civil society groups, farmers and activists have mobilised seeking an immediate stop to the project as well as a national debate on water sharing and river management.

Vision for Solidarity and Sustainable Planning

While President Zardari’s comments were praised by many in Sindh, seeing it as an unusual expression of solidarity from the top office, they revealed rifts between the provinces over the distribution of water.

With protests ongoing and political tensions boiling, the future of the Indus River — and the lives of millions on whom it depends — remains uncertain.