QUETTA:
A high-level ministerial delegation from Balochistan successfully negotiated a deal with Sindh authorities to address the province’s critical water shortages, offering a lifeline to thousands of desperate agricultural families.
In a pivotal meeting held in Karachi, both sides agreed to long-term cooperation and an immediate increase in water supplies to resolve the inter-provincial dispute.
Balochistan Irrigation
Minister Mir Muhammad Sadiq Umrani, who led the visiting team alongside provincial ministers Saleem Ahmed Khosa and Muhammad Khan Lehri, emphasized that the breakthrough is vital for regional stability.
“Our farmers are facing a catastrophic situation with their crops on the line,” Umrani stated. “The leadership is fully aware of these anxieties, and we are fiercely committed to ensuring that Balochistan receives its exact constitutional and agreed share of water without delay.”
Responding to the urgency, Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro reassured his counterparts that Sindh is fully onboard to stabilise the shared supply lines, despite facing its own regulatory hurdles at the federal level.
“We deeply understand the plight of Balochistan’s farming communities,” Shoro affirmed. “Sindh is committed to cooperation, and we will ensure that approximately 9,000 cusecs of water are maintained through the Pat Feeder Canal to protect these vital crops, true to the spirit of the 1991 Water Accord.”
The agreement comes as fields across Balochistan lie parched, with local growers watching their livelihoods wither away.
Across the Kirthar Canal command area, agricultural communities have been staging protests for weeks, warning that the severe lack of irrigation has put standing crops in immediate danger of failing entirely and threatening families with financial ruin.
According to a report published in The Express Tribune on July 5, the Balochistan government was considering legal action against the Sindh government over “unfair” distribution of canal water after repeated contacts with the Sindh chief minister and other authorities failed to ensure the province received its approved share.
Pat Feeder Canal Superintending Engineer Mudassar Khoso had said that although the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) had reported better water availability, the Sindh Irrigation Department was still providing Balochistan with 46% less water than its allocated share.
He said Balochistan was receiving only 0.365 million acre-feet (MAF) of water against its allocated share of 0.678 MAF, leaving a shortfall of 0.310 MAF.
Khoso said at RD-109, Balochistan required 6,700 cusecs of water
but was receiving only 4,096 cusecs. Similarly, at RD-102, the province was receiving only 1,050 cusecs against a demand of 2,400 cusecs.
He said he had earlier written to the relevant authorities seeking a review of water flows allocated to Balochistan but received a response contrary to official procedures and administrative ethics.
