Govt all set to take proposed Cholistan Canal project to CCI
ISLAMABAD – The PML-N-led federal government is all set to take the proposed Cholistan Canal project along with other canals under Green Pakistan Initiative to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) amid tension with PPP-led Sindh government.
The meeting of CCI is being convened to take up the pending issues related to the construction of canals, including Cholistan Canal, Musadik Malik, Federal Minister for Petroleum Division and Water Resources, confirmed to media here Monday. According to the Sindh’s stance, the Cholistan Canal project is a part of Green Pakistan Initiative which is linked to the approval of CCI, which has not yet been obtained. In February 2024, the ECNEC had conditionally approved a plan titled “Development of National Irrigation Network for Green Pakistan Initiative,” and to allay the concerns of the provinces, the approval of the proposal was subjected to approval by Council of Common Interests (CCI), the source said. The development of national irrigation network for Green Pakistan Initiative plans for the construction of various canals including Cholistan Canal, Greater Thal Canal (GTC), Kachhi Canal, Rainee Canal, Thar Canal and construction of Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC). However, the Ministry of Planning had requested the Cabinet Division to change ECNEC meeting minutes related to the construction of Cholistan Canal, which had linked the construction of the canal with approval of CCI.
A letter was written to Cabinet Division by MoPD&SI for correction of ECNEC meeting minutes. The Ministry of Planning was of the view that the decision of ECNEC was just related to Greater Thal Canal and Cholistan Canal was mistakenly recorded in the minutes of the meeting, therefore, requested the Cabinet Division to correct it, the source said. Sindh is insisting on placing Cholistan Canal to CCI, as per the decision of ECNEC, and the correction of the ECNEC meeting minutes simply means that the project escapes the CCI scrutiny. Interestingly, controversy over the construction of Cholistan Canal took fresh turn, after the federal government had dropped the project from the agenda of Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting, owing to extreme resistance from the government of Sindh which is insisting on linking the construction of the canal with the approval of Council of Common Interests (CCI). The summary of Cholistan project was moved to ECNEC for approval, however, later on after the intervention of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, it was dropped from the agenda of the meeting.
The government of Sindh has serious reservations on the grant of issuance of water availability certificate for the project and is of the opinion that flood flows will not suffice for the operation of the canal. Sindh is of the view that from 2019 to 2023, water shortage for Punjab was 13.7%, while for Sindh it was 19.4%. Such a huge shortage does not allow construction of new canals, Sindh said. The construction of Cholistan Canal will also aggravate the situation in Indus delta where even 8.6 MAF environmental flows have not been ensured. The province has further argued that no flow days are increasing in count, and seawater is intruding coastal region of the province.
Notably, the CDWP had given nod to the construction of Cholistan Canal and Systems-Phase I, at the cost of Rs225.340 billion, despite strong objection from the Sindh province. During the CDWP meeting, the representative of the Sindh government had requested to defer the approval of Cholistan Canal till the final decision of the CCI, source added. During the CDWP meeting, representative of government of Sindh expressed concerns over project that will eventually affect lower riparian Sindh province.