IRSA under fire for opening TP Link Canal

Express Tribune

15-04-2025

The 363-kilometre-long main canal, out of which 351km is lined canal, starts from Taunsa Barrage in Muzaffargarh district of Punjab and ends in Dera Bugti district in Balochistan. PHOTO: FILE
The Sindh government and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Tuesday launched a strong criticism against the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) for opening a link canal in Punjab, amid ongoing water shortages in the Indus River system.
Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, PPP spokesperson Shazia Marri, and PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, in separate statements, demanded that the Irsa immediately close the Taunsa-Panjnad (TP) Link Canal, arguing that it was designed solely for flood seasons, not for irrigation.
Pakistan is currently facing a severe water shortage in the Indus River system. Data shows that during the first 10 days of April, water shortages reached 62% in Sindh and 54% in Punjab. Minister Shoro warned that repeatedly opening the TP Canal would further worsen Sindh's water crisis.
"There is no drinking water available in Sindh," Shoro stated in a letter to Irsa. "Opening the TP Link Canal amid this water shortage is like rubbing salt on Sindh's wounds. The canal must be closed immediately."
PPP Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri questioned the logic behind opening the canal "at a time when Sindh is facing a devastating 62% water shortage." She stressed that link canals like the TP were never intended to operate year-round.
"These canals were never meant to be perennial—they should only open during floods," she said. "Operating the TP Link Canal during a shortage will further deprive downstream areas of water and cause greater harm."
Marri backed the Sindh government's protest against Irsa and reiterated the PPP's long-standing demand for equitable water distribution under the 1991 Water Accord.
Calling water diversion under the pretext of "technical necessity" as unacceptable, she said, "Water is not a political tool—it is a constitutional right," adding that the issue should not be exploited for political gains. "For us, it's a matter of life and death."
She also criticised the federal government's silence, warning that the Centre "cannot ignore the people's suffering." She added: "We demand the immediate closure of the TP Link Canal and urge Irsa and the federal government to intervene."
Senator Sherry Rehman condemned the canal's opening as "highly irresponsible" and a violation of inter-provincial harmony. She demanded its immediate closure and called for a Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting to address the crisis.
Rehman noted that the Indus River was already at a 100-year low, and such actions "amount to stealing Sindh's water rights."
"Irsa's bias is undeniable—its decisions are inflicting severe damage on Sindh," she said. "We demand transparency, accountability, and fairness in distributing Pakistan's most vital resource: water."
She warned that constructing new canals without provincial consensus would deepen disputes, saying: "Inequitable water distribution will harm millions of farmers, heighten inter-provincial tensions, and weaken the federation."