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Water Accord of 1991 stands
ISLAMABAD: The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has finally
issued formal orders for the distribution of water among the
provinces on the basis of the water accord of 1991, it is
reliably learnt. With the issuance of this fresh order, the
inter-ministerial
decision of 1994, being implemented till now, stands 'null and
void', officials confirmed.
Presently water among the provinces is being distributed on
the basis of the 1994 ministerial decision but according to
the new orders, at the end of the rabi 2001-2002 the
collective water sharing will be done on the basis of Accord
1991. The IRSA had earlier deferred implementation on the
Chief Executive's orders of October 2000 in which the
Authority was asked to distribute the water among the
provinces on the basis of water accord 1991.
But, IRSA, then headed by a member from the Punjab province,
did not issue the formal notification and continued to
distribute water on the basis of 1994 ministerial decision
that created inter-provincial disharmony and made it a
controversial issue.
Sources, however, said the future of fresh efforts to
introduce a new water formula as desired by the president
recently, remains unclear. In the last meeting of the IRSA
held in the first week of the Jan, the provinces were asked to
submit their suggestions for the evolution of a new water
distribution arrangement to remove the inter-provincial
differences once and for all.
High placed government sources confirmed to The News that the
orders to execute the Water Accord of 1991 had been actually
issued after the Sindh government wrote a strong protest
letter to the federal government on Jan 4 demanding the
immediate
implementation on the Accord.
Sources said Sindh had told the federal government that it was
an absolute injustice with the province that the accord of
1991 was not being implemented despite the fact that the
president himself had endorsed the view point of Sindh and
directed the Authority to issue the order in October 2000.
Sindh maintains that in the presence of 1991 accord there was
absolutely no need to take steps for any new arrangement as
the 91 accord had the constitutional cover and was formally
approved by the Council of Common Interest headed by the prime
minister/Chief Executive.
Curtsy The News
January 15, 2002
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