Why does Pakistan’s new channel project cause a fear of water deficiency? | News of water

Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani government has launched an ambitious agricultural project with the aim of increasing food safety in the South Asian nation of 240 million people.

A six -channel network will be built throughout the country to irrigate millions of hectares of infertile countries as part of a $ 3.3 billion (945 billion rupee) project called Green Pakistan initiative (GPI), launched by the powerful military military military military leading General Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in 2023.

Open from Munir and the Punjab Province Chief Minister of Province last month, fans welcomed the channel project as an exchanger of the Games who will turn huge desert countries into fertile agricultural land.

Munir praised Punjab, the most populous province, for his role as “Pakistani Agriculture Power Plant”, adding that the army would continue their support from the economic growth of the country.

But critics say the megaproject, which aims to build channels in four Pakistan provinces, would cause a lack of water in the southern parts of the country. The project is said to have been planned without the consent of the stakeholder.

The GPI, according to many skeptics, will further emphasize the Pakistan River System, which recorded a reduction in water levels due to climate change and excessive exploitation.

Numerous protests have been held in the southern province of Sindh since the project announced, and the latest demonstration was held on March 25 in major cities, including Karachi, led by the Pakistani National Party (PPP), a ruling party in Sindhu, which also supports the Government of Sharif.

So, what’s the GPI? What is his scope? And why are some of his proposed channels face such a strong resistance?

Why did people protest in Sindhu?

Water distribution has long been a political point in Pakistan, and Sindh, as a lower coastal province, is afraid that loss of water in development could be enrolled in a disaster.

Because the Government has announced its intention to develop channels on Indus – the largest line of Rijeka and water in the country – thousands of people, including women and children, went out to the streets.

The protest rally was held on February 16 at Bhit Shahu in Sindhu, in which participants broke through against the channel system, expressing their fear that Sindh’s water share would potentially be reduced. Sindh depends on the water from the Indus River system for drinking as well as in agricultural purposes.

What is the Green Pakistan initiative?

Agriculture is the backbone of the Pakistani economy, contributing to almost 25 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) and provides 37 percent of employment.

The GPI was launched in July 2023 to resolve outdated agricultural practices to improve productivity.

It aims to modernize the agricultural sector by introducing new technologies and equipment, including drones, land management systems and tractors, as well as providing seeds and fertilizers for increasing yields.

The project also aims to provide technical contributions to farmers, including soil testing among other services, and attract domestic and foreign investment to create what Munir described as a “modern farm” on the inauguration of the project in Islamabad in 2023.

Pakistan introduced her food products worth $ 9 billion in 2023, even when he faced the crisis of a canvas balance and was forced to lend funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The green corporate initiative (GCI), a private company owned by the military, had the task of turning a desolation into breeding agricultural land.

“Revitalizing agriculture is crucial for economics, especially since Pakistan faces the threats associated with the climate,” he told Al Jazeera, retired Army General Shahid Nazir, led by the GPI.

Nazir said that 4.8 million hectares (1,94 million hectares) “infertile devastation” were identified in the entire country.

Making this farming of the country would also provide employment options of more than 60,000 people, he added.

The army has a huge impact in the country, directly ruled Pakistan for more than three decades, and runs several commercial real estate entities, agriculture, construction and other sectors.

According to the GPI, the project will focus on growing “target cultures”, including cotton, wheat, canol, sunflower, rice and lentils.

According to the plan, the company will lease land for 30 years through different business models, in which investors will be assigned at least 1,000 hectares (405 hectares), which could be foreign as well as domestic large -scale investors.

However, Nazir added that the ultimate goal was to use large investments as a model of small farmers, who could then cooperate with other small farmers to upgrade their agriculture techniques, bringing them to speed with contemporary practices.

What channel is Cholistan and why is it important?

The approval for the “Six Strategic Channels” was given by President Asif Ali Zardari in July 2024, who is from Sindha and the co-operator of PPP, after meeting with the GPI officials.

According to the minutes of the meeting, these channels were considered “vital for agricultural development and food safety”, and Zardari approved their “at the same time execution”, at the same time calling for consistent financing of the Federal and Provincial Government.

Of the channels, Cholistan is the largest and most critical project.

According to official documents, a 176 km long channel (109 kilometers) has three branches, with a total capacity of 4,120 Cusec (116,665 liters/seconds), and is expected to be completed by mid-2030, with an estimated cost of $ 783 million.

For the construction of the channels, the authorities acquired 1.2 million hectares (485,623 hectares) of the country in Punjab, with more than 90 percent in the Cholistan desert, which borders India.

In the first phase, 452,000 hectares of Earth will be covered, while 750,000 hectares of the country will irrigate with the end of the second phase. More than 170,000 hectares of land in the Cholistan desert already use private investors for cultivation.

According to a working document prepared by the Federal Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, “The construction of the Holistan channel is therefore considered a critical intervention for the transformation of the region by adopting reliable and sustainable supplies of water to large areas of previously unconditionable land.”

“This project is also aligned with wider national goals, such as increasing food safety, improving rural resources for life and promoting sustainable development in less developed Pakistan regions,” the paper said.

Nazir presented three basic goals for nurturing the Cholistan desert: “Developing land and increasing yields, improvement of biodiversity and ensuring social influence.”

“Although our local farmer is the ultimate goal, we want to cooperate with foreign investors as well as big domestic investors,” he said.

The Special Council for Lighting Investment (SIFC), a high body level that is a military military boss and prime minister, was created in 2023 to help investors bypass bureaucratic obstacles.

This move is aimed at attracting investors in Pakistan, a country that faces heavy economic challenges and is currently engaged in saving the IMF of $ 7 billion, 25. Since 1958.

Where will the water come from?

Following Indus’ water contract (IWT), a water distribution mechanism between Pakistan and India, agreed in 1960, Pakistan has control over Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, while India controls Sutlej, Ravi and Beas.

The proposed channel plan states that they will be fed by excess flood waters from the Sutlej River under control in India. However, critics claim that relying exclusively on flood water is an unreliable proposal.

Naser Memon, an environmental expert based on Islamabad, points out that the flow of water in the eastern rivers of the Indus-Sutlej, Ravi and Beas-Neprastano decrease due to the construction of the dam, as well as Climate change.

“If you look at the flow information, between 1976 and 1998, the average flow was 9.35 million hectares (MAF). From 1999 to 2022, it fell to just 2.96 MAF,” he told Al Jazeera.

The report of the food and agriculture organization (FAO) 2021 (FAO) emphasizes that Pakistan relies solely on the Indus’ National Irrigation System (IBIS) for its basic food safety and water supply.

The country saves only 10 percent of its river waters compared to a global average of 40 percent. Furthermore, Fao says that Pakistan is one of the most important nations in the world, pulling almost 75 percent of his total renewable water resources.

Ibis is one of the largest continuous irrigation systems in the world, helping to irrigate about 44 million hectares (18 million hectares) of the country in Pakistan and operates through “three major multipurpose storage reservoirs, 19 Baraga, 12 channels for inter -kicking and 45 major irrigation channels”, according to FAO.

What do critics say?

The distribution of water in Pakistan is overseen by the Management Board of Rijeka Indus (IRSA), a regulatory body founded in 1992 to distribute the water of the Indus River among four provinces equally.

Despite the opposition of Sindh’s representative Irsan Leghari, the authorities issued a certificate last month, accepting that there was enough water available for the Cholistan Channel.

In his disagreement, Leghari warned that this could demand that the water from Indus would be diverted to the Cholistan channel, which, he claimed, would be “unjust to Sindhu”.

“Analysis of data o Indu pool in Pakistan In many reports, he indicated that the use of water in the Indus basin already exceeds the availability, and the Indus Pood is going through a critical state, is not able to satisfy existing irrigated, drinking water, and inability to stop seawater entry, “Leghari wrote in his note.

Sindha’s government, led by PPP, an ally of the Sharifs of Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), has brought unanimous resolution in the provincial assembly, demanding the current stop of all activities related to the channel project.

The Higher PPP leader also criticized the project, saying that it would have a detrimental effect on the agricultural sector in Sindhu.

Sherry Rehman, a party leader at the Parliament Upper House, warned that the project would lead to the desertion of Sindh’s fertile countries.

Memon, a water expert, has called into question a lack of transparency from the military and charging government about how the water will irrigate.

“If Sutlej does not have enough water and filling from the Jheum River, the lack of filling can be compensated by taking more water from Indus, depriving Sindh,” he said.

Adding the concerns pointed out by Memon, the official memorandum of IrSa -and last week he warned of water lack, stating that Punjab had already faced a 20 -percentage deficiency and Sindh 14 percent, with a potential deficiency at 30 to 35 percent in the coming months.

Memon agreed that an improvement of agricultural practice and bringing them compared to modern practice, but said, “The process must be transparent and righteous.”

“Punjab’s own proportion of water is guaranteed by the existing channel system. But when new irrigation areas are planned, without explanation where water comes from, it is inevitable that people in Sindhu will express their anger and protest.”