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CHOLISTAN: Livestock migration from
Cholistan
CHOLISTAN -The entire animal population of the Cholistan
desert has migrated during the last three-year drought after
suffering a mortality rate of five to seven per cent.
Cholistan Development Authority vice-chairman Abdur Razza told
a team of visiting journalists from Lahore that herdsmen drove
their animals back every winter but only to be forced out next
summer by the persisting drought.
According to him, it was not easy to calculate the cost of the
three-year drought as far as livestock was concerned, but it
certainly was a mighty blow.
Of late, the federal government has allocated Rs 300 million
under the Drought Emergency Relief Authority (Dera) programme
and the money has started trickling in. But, it will take some
time to feel the impact of the relief effort. Under the
programme, the authority will build pipeline to take water
right into heart of Cholistan. The magnitude of problem could
only be felt when taken in human context. Even after 54 years
of creation of the country, Pakistan has not been able to
provide drinking water to a mere 1,4000 people of Cholistan
area.
It, he said, was criminal to link these supplies to flood
water availability or diverting it for other purposes. Now the
president has allocated 250 cusecs of water for the area on
perennial basis. It was against 600 cusecs demanded for the
same, but it will largely mitigate drinking crisis of the
desert, he hoped. For long-term plans, he told reporters that
a huge network of roads, schools, ponds had been conceived and
would be executed at a cost of Rs 440 million. The federal
government has committed Rs 340 million and the province would
contribute rest.
DAM: The district governments and the irrigation officials
from the southern Punjab plead for immediate construction of
the Kalabagh Dam.
Talking to visiting journalists, Tariq Bashir Cheema, District
Nazim, Bahawalpur, Usman Akram, Chief Engineer, Irrigation,
Mian Ghaffar, Chief Engineer, Irrigation Multan zone and Shah
Mehmood Qureshi, District Nazim, Multan, issued a passionate
appeal for the dam. However, Mr Qureshi was diplomatic enough
to plead for a new storage without naming it.
The southern Punjab, they said, was situated at the tail of
the Punjab irrigation system and was the main sufferer of
prevailing water shortage. "Hot weather, sandy area and
ongoing drought have further increased the intensity of the
problem. Fair distribution of water resources is the core
issue and it must be done now," they said adding the stance of
Punjab province on water issue was correct and objections
raised by a brother province were not correct on technical and
legal grounds.
Keeping in view the effects of water shortage in the area, it
would not be possible for the Punjab to sacrifice its share in
future, they maintained. In addition to building the dam, an
awareness, campaign be launched among the farmers of the Sindh
and Punjab for ensuring better and justified use of irrigation
water according to the recommendations of the agricultural
scientists.
The Punjab has always scarified for others; Water Accord was
one example of the same and yearly sacrifice of water for
Sindhi brethren was another. The southern belt produces around
85 per cent of cotton, which brings 70 per cent of foreign
exchange for the country. The government, they said, could
delay new dam only at the risk of that precious foreign
earning, human and animal lives in the areas.
courtesy Daily Dawn
,15 May, 2002
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Pakissan.com;
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