A growing wave of protests against the construction of six new canals on the Indus River has now drawn the participation of Sindh’s artistic community.
On Sunday, the Larkana Arts Council organized a rally featuring actors, singers, poets, and writers, all voicing their opposition to the controversial project amidst ongoing inter-provincial water disputes.
“Sindh already suffers from acute water shortages for several months each year,” said Ghulam Shabbir Samo, a singer who participated in the rally. “What kind of justice is this to rob the province of its further share of water?”
Ayub Lateefi, a writer and poet, echoed these concerns, stating, “The people of Sindh will never accept these canals.” He argued that the very survival of Sindh’s people is at stake if the project moves forward.
Other participants, including Sajjan Marri, Sohini Naaz, and Aijaz Solangi, vowed to resist the project “till their last breath” and called on the federal government to immediately withdraw the plan.
The protests have gained traction across Sindh, with political leaders and activists joining the cause. Speaking in Thatta district, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, declared that the movement against the canals would continue to grow.
“The Indus River is a lifeline for the people. All heedful individuals in the province will keep resisting these canals,” he said.
He also warned that the project, under the guise of corporate farming, would devastate the livelihoods of peasants and farmers. Meanwhile, Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) leader Ayaz Latif Palijo, in a statement from Hyderabad, urged lawyers, writers, teachers, farmers, and traders to join the protests.
He argued that the canals would harm Sindh’s people and economy and lead to nationwide economic, political, and social crises. “In the name of agricultural revolution, tens of thousands of acres of land in Sindh are being doled out,” Palijo said.
At a press conference in Hyderabad, Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM) Chairman Riaz Ali Chandio alleged that workers of nationalist parties protesting the canals were being subjected to enforced disappearances. “We believe in peaceful political struggle, and there is no legal justification for detaining our workers,” Chandio said.
He vowed that the nationalist parties would not allow the federal government to implement its plan to “destroy Sindh by stealing its water.”
As protests intensify, Sindh is already grappling with a severe water crisis. The province is facing a 50% shortage of water in its river and canal systems. According to irrigation authorities, the upstream flow at the Sukkur Barrage was recorded at 21,780 cusecs, while only 7,650 cusecs were being released downstream toward the Kotri Barrage.
At Kotri, the upstream water level was measured at 5,745 cusecs, far below the designed discharge capacity of the Phuleli Canal, which alone requires 14,350 cusecs.
This shortage has led to the rapid drying up of canals, distributaries, and watercourses in districts such as Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, and Tando Muhammad Khan.
Very good we Cant accept this caneals