PM Imran Khan ready to facilitate all provinces on water issue: Farrukh Habib

• Several dams should have been built, but the previous governments did bother to build them, Farrukh Habib says.
• All the provinces can benefit through the construction of dams, he says.
• Meanwhile, PPP has announced protests across Sindh on the water issue.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said Monday Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready to facilitate all the provinces on the water issue.

Habib, speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, said several dams should have been built, but the previous governments did bother to build them.

"The prime minister has termed this decade as the decade of building dams."

The state minister said the government aims at building dams that can store 13 million acre-feet of water in ten years.

"All the provinces can benefit through the construction of dams," he said, adding the premier cares for all farmers of the country, and the Opposition should not give an impression otherwise.

Taking over the presser, Punjab Minister for Irrigation Mohsin Leghari said that the provincial government could not even think of depriving any farmer of their rights.

The minister said the water was dispersed with a gap of 10 days, and in April, Punjab faced a 49% water shortage, while Sindh's shortage stood at 9%.

Currently, Punjab is facing a shortage of 22% and Sindh 17%, he added.

Leghari said Punjab's total water accumulation had risen by 2% after the resource came in from Koh-i-Sulaiman (Sulaiman Mountains).

PPP announces protests across Sindh

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro, addressing a press conference at the province's assembly, said Sindh has been by water scarcity after unannounced load shedding and skyrocketing inflation.

"For this, the whole province will protest," the PPP leader said.

PPP will not remain silent and allow the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to steal Sindh's water, Khuhro said.

The PPP leader said due to a shortage of water in Thatta, the people were not able to grow crops.

Protests will be held on the water issue across Sindh, starting with Larkana on June 3, Thatta and Badin on June 5, Sukkur on June 9, and Karachi on June 15.

The PPP leader alleged that only Sindh's water had been reduced, while all the other provinces were getting their due share.

Punjab's water discharge data correct

A day earlier, Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar said inspection teams from different provinces, including Sindh, visited the barrages in Punjab and approved Punjab's water discharge data.

Taking to Twitter, the CM wrote that the inspection, followed by the verification of the water discharge data, has proved that the propaganda about water distribution, which had been going on for a few days, was wrong.

The chief minister said that he is ready to once again invite parliamentarians from Sindh to come to Punjab and inspect the barrages there.

Buzdar said that that he also wished the Sindh government to invite Punjab's parliamentarians and independent observers to visit the barrages in Sindh so that they too can review the water distribution system there.

"The solution [to the problem of water shortage and distribution] is not political point-scoring but a transparent and impartial system of reporting and inspection," the chief minister wrote.

Digital Media Focal Person to Chief Minister Punjab Azhar Mashwani also took to Twitter and confirmed that Punjab's water discharge data was correct.

"Alhamdulilah. Punjab's water discharge data found correct in the surprise visit of Sindh's teams and IRSA's team," he tweeted.

Shame on @MuradAliShahPPP and @BBhuttoZardari for their false propaganda. PPP's waderas are stealing water of poor Sindhis."

It should be recalled that a few days ago, the Sindh cabinet had spoken out against the water shortage in the province during the ongoing Kharif season and had blamed the Centre for its "animosity" towards Sindh.