The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources was Friday informed that approximately 60 percent of arable land in Sindh is facing the problem of waterlogging, while the groundwater level is also constantly rising which could lead to a significant decline in farming and production.
The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources, held under the chairmanship of Senator Musadik Masood Malik, was apprised by the Special Secretary Sindh that about 60 percent of Sindh’s arable land is affected due to waterlogging and the groundwater level is constantly rising which could lead to a significant decline in farming and production.
The chairman of the committee said that data was not being provided by the Sindh government. He said that we want to make our recommendations based on data and clear evidence, and after the 18th Amendment, monitoring of groundwater levels is the responsibility of provincial governments. The Sindh government officials told the committee that a new study was being conducted which would be completed by June and a report would be submitted to the committee.
Senator Musadik Malik stressed that a lot can be done to control waterlogging but nothing has been done to address this issue so far. He said that the recommendations of the committee should also be included in the proceedings of the Special Committee on Water Resources set up by the Council of Common Interests.
The officials of the Ministry Of Water Resources told the committee that Balochistan was not getting its share of water due to the design flaws of Sukkur Barrage. The officials said that remodeling of Sukkur Barrage and Guddu Barrage was underway which would improve the situation.
The officials of the Ministry Of Water Resources gave a detailed briefing to the committee on the ministry’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) plans for the year 2022/23. The committee approved the plans after due consideration.