For Pakistan’s Sindh, drying up of second largest reservoir both a blessing and curse

A local fills a water bucket near the Chotiari water reservoir in Sindh's Sanghar district, Pakistan, on September 19, 2021. (AN photo by Zulfiqar Kunbhar)
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Updated 27 September 2021
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For Pakistan’s Sindh, drying up of second largest reservoir both a blessing and curse

  • Chotiari reservoir, which irrigates 290,000 acres of land in Sanghar and Umerkot districts, is touching “almost dead level”
  • Some landlords say reduction in water level is blessing as water from reservoir has caused waterlogging and soil salinity in surroundings

SANGHAR: The Chotiari water reservoir, the second largest water storage facility in Pakistan’s Sindh province, is facing acute shortages and touched an “almost dead level” due to low monsoon rains this year, a senior Sindh irrigation official said on Friday.

While the development has been widely seen as a threat to the availability of drinking and irrigation water in the southern province, experts as well as some farmers described it as a blessing, saying the artificial lake had caused major waterlogging and soil salinity in its surroundings and thus destroyed agricultural land.

The Chotiari reservoir is situated on the edge of Pakistan’s Achhro Thar, or white desert, in Sanghar district bordering India. Historically, the Chotiari was a complex of deep lakes and riverine Makhi forests. It was turned into a reservoir in 2002.




A view of the gates of the Chotiari water reservoir in Sindh's Sanghar district, Pakistan, on September 19, 2021. (AN photo by Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

Lake Manchar, the largest natural freshwater lake in Pakistan, which is in Sindh’s Dadu and Jamshoro districts, has remained empty for over two decades, making the Chotiari reservoir, with a storage capacity of 0.71 million acre feet, a major source of drinking and irrigation water in the region.

Today, the water body is nearing an “almost dead level,” said Mansoor Memon, the Chotiari reservoir project director from the Sindh Irrigation Department. 

If upper parts of the country did not receive enough rains in the ongoing monsoon season, he warned, water shortage in command areas of the reservoir could increase by up to 30 percent.

Already, the cultivation of kharif crops — planted February onwards and harvested till September — in the Chotiari reservoir command area has been reduced to half by the season ending September-end. And if rain patterns remain the same, the upcoming rabi, or spring harvest, will also see dangerously low crop yields, raising fears of food insecurity given that wheat is a major rabi crop.




An empty boat at the Chotiari water reservoir in Sindh's Sanghar district, Pakistan, on September 19, 2021. (AN photo by Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

“Prior to monsoon rains, it [water level in the reservoir] had reduced to 5 feet, touching almost dead-level,” Memon told Arab News, saying it was currently at 8 feet.

“If rainfall occurs as per forecast, we will touch the 15-feet level by November, which we call comfort level,” the official explained, saying if there were not enough rains and water continued to be supplied to the reservoir at existing levels from the Indus river, “we would face 30 percent water shortage in command areas in just the rabi season.”

The reservoir is filled through the Nara canal, the longest canal in Pakistan, which runs for about 364 kilometers, and irrigates 290,000 acres of land in the Sanghar and Umerkot desert districts. It fills up during the kharif season that falls between April and September.

However, fresh satellite and classified images obtained from the Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam (SAUT) show that 83 percent of the reservoir is empty.




Landlord Abdul Khaliq Junejo poses with his sesame crop in the surrounding area of the Chotiari water reservoir in Sindh's Sanghar district, Pakistan, on September 17, 2021. (AN photo by Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

“On the basis of classified images, we can say that on September 09, 2021, 93 percent of the Chotiari reservoir area was empty,” Prof Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal, an SAUT director for research, innovation and commercialization, told Arab News.

“With the arrival of water in the River Indus because of the monsoon, the situation improved slightly on September 18, 2021 and Chotiari was 83 percent empty. In the command area, Chotiari water is useful especially during rabi that starts from October or so,” he said, predicting severe water shortage in the reservoir’s lower Nara Canal command area in the upcoming rabi season.

Hajji Muhammad Shafi Palli, a 55-year-old grower from Umerkot district’s Kunri area, said he had cultivated cotton, pearl millet and sesame in the outgoing Kharif season, but his yield was half of the usual average produce.

His 40 acres (16 hectares) of agriculture land is fed through the Chotiari reservoir tributaries, covering around 150 kilometers. Palli and other growers in the area have already received an advisory from authorities for the upcoming rabi season starting October, with warnings to limit cropping area depending on water availability in the Chotiari reservoir and the volume of rain in the River Indus catchment area.

“After advisory, I fear that I may have to limit wheat production to four acres (1.6 hectares) as compared to my last year’s 20 acres of cultivation area,” Palli told Arab News. “Similarly, I would have to reduce other crops like mustard.”

But some are happy the reservoir is drying up.

Abdul Khaliq Junejo, 60, who owns 25 acres of agricultural land adjacent to the Chotiari reservoir, said a reduction in its water level was a blessing since water from the reservoir had been causing major waterlogging in its surroundings.




A boat is anchored in front of the Bakar Lake Resort at the Chotiari water reservoir in Sindh's Sanghar district, Pakistan, on September 19, 2021. (AN photo by Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

Indeed, a 2019 study by the University of Nevada, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Pakistan’s Mehran University of Engineering and Technology in Jamshoro said the Chotiari reservoir had caused major water logging, soil salinity and negative vegetation in the adjacent areas of the structure.

“I was able to cultivate a sesame crop this year after a gap of three years as the water level went low,” Junejo said.

According to Junejo and other growers, at the time of the reservoir’s construction, authorities promised to ensure the extraction of seepage water through tube wells and pumping stations, but these promises are yet to be fulfilled.

“Not a single tube well is working and there is no arrangement of seepage water management,” Junejo said. “As a result, there is hardly one crop all year, which has resulted in mass unemployment. Most locals have been forced to stop cultivating their own lands and migrate to other areas to work on others’ lands.”

Chotiari reservoir project director Memon acknowledged the complaints.

“Reduction of water in the Chotiari reservoir also means a blessing in disguise for the surrounding areas,” he said. “There is a scheme of 100 tube wells for the associated work of Chotiari reservoir seepage water extraction, but all tube wells are not functional because of electricity-related issues.”


Pakistani stocks surge past 97,000 as investor confidence grows on economic reforms

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistani stocks surge past 97,000 as investor confidence grows on economic reforms

  • Analysts attribute rally to strong economic data, rising optimism over government reforms
  • Stock market has remained bullish since the government slashed policy rate in November

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday gained 1,700 points, surging past the 97,000 mark during intra-day trading for the first time, with analysts attributing the rally to strong economic data and rising investor optimism over government reforms.
The benchmark KSE-100 index rose by 1,781.94 points, or 1.86 percent, to close at 97,328.39. It touched an unprecedented peak of 97,437.15 during intra-day trading.
Analyst Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said surging foreign exchange reserves and speculations over the government’s decisions on economic reforms and privatization “played a catalyst role in the record surge at the PSX.”
“Stocks are bullish, led by scrips across the board as investors weigh a drop in government bond yields and robust economic data for current account surplus, remittances, exports and foreign direct investments,” Mehanti told Arab News.
In October, Pakistan’s external current account recorded a surplus of $349 million, marking the third consecutive month of surplus and the highest in this period. The current account reflects a nation’s transactions with the world, encompassing net trade in goods and services, net earnings on cross-border investments and net transfer payments.
A surplus indicates that a country is exporting more than it is importing, thereby strengthening its foreign exchange reserves.
A bullish trend has been observed in the stock market since Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 250 basis points, bringing it to 15 percent earlier this month. Economic indicators have also steadily improved since securing a 37-month, $7 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September.
In the past, the country faced a prolonged economic crisis that drained its foreign exchange reserves and saw its currency weaken amid double-digit inflation. Last year, Pakistan narrowly avoided a sovereign default by clinching a last-minute $3 billion IMF bailout deal.


Saudi mission in Pakistan condemns militant attack that killed 12 soldiers this week

Updated 31 min 8 sec ago
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Saudi mission in Pakistan condemns militant attack that killed 12 soldiers this week

  • The embassy extends condolences to victims’ families and the Pakistani people in a statement
  • The statement reiterates the kingdom’s position ‘rejecting all forms of violence and terrorism’

ISLAMABAD: The Saudi embassy in Pakistan on Thursday condemned a militant attack on a joint security checkpoint in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that killed 10 army soldiers and two Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, extending condolences to the victims’ families and the Pakistani people.
The attack, which occurred on Tuesday, targeted a joint army and paramilitary check post in the Mali Khel area of Bannu District, where militants detonated an explosive-laden vehicle after troops repelled their attempt to storm the post, according to the Pakistan military. Six militants were killed during the exchange of gunfire that followed.
“The Embassy expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of the attack on a joint checkpoint in the city of Bannu in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, which resulted in the death and injury of a number of people,” the Saudi diplomatic mission in Islamabad said in a statement.
“The Embassy reiterates the Kingdom’s position rejecting all forms of violence and terrorism,” it added. “The Embassy extends its deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the families of the victims, the government and the people of Pakistan, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.”
Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has experienced a resurgence of militant violence in recent months, with a growing number of attacks on security forces and infrastructure despite the country’s efforts to combat militancy.
The region has long been a hotspot for insurgent activity, with militants frequently targeting military and paramilitary personnel.
Saudi Arabia has consistently expressed its support for Pakistan’s fight against extremist violence, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation to tackle militancy and ensure regional stability.


Imran Khan remanded to police for five days in case involving violence at Rawalpindi rally 

Updated 21 November 2024
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Imran Khan remanded to police for five days in case involving violence at Rawalpindi rally 

  • Main charges include terrorism, vandalism, destruction of property, attempted murder 
  • Khan, jailed since August 2023, claims all charges against him are politically motivated

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani lower court has remanded former prime minister Imran Khan to Rawalpindi police for interrogation for five days in a case pertaining to violence at a rally organized by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in September, the party said on Thursday.

Khan was arrested in the rally case on Wednesday night, hours after the Islamabad High Court had granted him bail in another case that has popularly come to be called the new Toshakhana case, filed in July and involving a jewelry set worth over €380,000 gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary when Khan was prime minister from 2018-2022. The couple was accused of undervaluing the gift and buying it at a lesser price from the state repository. Both deny wrongdoing. 

Khan has been in jail since August last year following his conviction in four cases, two of which have been suspended, including an original one relating to state gifts, and he was acquitted in the rest.

“An anti-terrorism court granted a five-day physical remand to Rawalpindi police in the first information report (FIR) registered on Sep. 28,” the PTI party said in a statement. “The FIR surfaced last night and Rawalpindi police declared the arrest shortly afterwards.”

The PTI party added that arresting a suspect in a case registered in September right after he was granted bail in another case was an “absolute mockery of the law.”

The police report of the case lists terrorism, attempted murder, vandalism, destruction of public and state property, and interference in government operations as the main charges. It says participants of the PTI rally created unrest, obstructed public access by burning tires and caused difficulties for citizens.

It also charged PTI leaders and supporters with raising anti-government slogans, hurling stones at the police and attacking them with iron rods during the protest. PTI rallygoers damaged several police vehicles and one police officer was injured, the report adds.

Khan was in prison when the Sept. 28 rally took place. The former premier denies any wrongdoing and alleges all the cases registered against him since he was removed from power in 2022 were politically motivated to keep him in jail.

His PTI party is staging a “long march” to the capital city, Islamabad, on Nov. 24, aiming to pressurise the government to release him.
 


Pakistan urges action after UN labels Israel’s war in Gaza consistent with genocide

Updated 21 November 2024
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Pakistan urges action after UN labels Israel’s war in Gaza consistent with genocide

  • The UN report pointed at high civilian casualties, Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war
  • Pakistan welcomes the report’s condemnation of Israel’s smear campaign against UN agencies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for its conduct in Gaza, citing a recent United Nations report describing it as consistent with genocide.
The UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices, established in 1968, released its latest findings on Nov. 14. The report highlights mass civilian casualties and widespread destruction in Gaza, pointing out the intentional imposition of life-threatening conditions on Palestinians, including starvation as a weapon of war.
It also called for immediate international intervention to address the humanitarian crisis and ensure accountability for violations of international law.
“We welcome the last, latest report of the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices released last week,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during her weekly news briefing. “The report describes Israel’s warfare practices in Gaza as acts of genocide and documents millions of civilian casualties and grievous conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians.”
“Pakistan welcomes the committee’s condemnation of the ongoing smear campaign and attacks against UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] and the United Nations, and supports its call on all member states to uphold their legal obligations to prevent and stop Israeli violations of international law and holding it accountable,” she added.
The UN report was released in the context of intensified violence in Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes and a crippling blockade have led to a deepening humanitarian catastrophe. According to the document, the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure and essential supplies has compounded the suffering of millions of Palestinians.
Pakistan has consistently advocated for Palestinian rights and the two-state solution. It also expressed “deep regret” over the United States’ veto of a ceasefire resolution a day earlier, noting that Washington cast the “sole negative vote” among UNSC permanent members.


COP29: Pakistan among nations that blast draft of vague deal on climate cash for poor countries

Updated 21 November 2024
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COP29: Pakistan among nations that blast draft of vague deal on climate cash for poor countries

  • Introducing the plan, lead negotiator from Azerbaijan, Yalchin Rafiyev, emphasized how balanced the plan was
  • “We would like to correct the balance. It is completely tilted,” Pakistan delegate Romina Khurshid Alam said

BAKU, Azerbaijan: Countries of the world took turns rejecting a new but vague draft text released early Thursday which attempts to form the spine of any deal reached at United Nations climate talks on money for developing countries to transition to clean energy and adapt to climate change.
The draft left out a crucial sticking point: how much wealthy nations will pay poor countries. A key option for the lowest amount donors are willing to pay was just a placeholder “X.” Part of that is because rich nations have yet to make an offer in negotiations.
So the host Azerbaijan presidency with its dawn-released package of proposals did manage to unite a fractured world on climate change, but it was only in their unease and outright distaste for the plan. Negotiators at the talks — known as COP29 — in Baku, are trying to close the gap between the $1.3 trillion the developing world says is needed in climate finance and the few hundred billion that negotiators say richer nations have been prepared to give.
Negotiators slam an ‘unbalanced’ draft
Introducing the plan, lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev emphasized how balanced the plan was, but all sides kept saying it was anything but balanced and pointed time was running out.
“We would like to correct the balance. It is completely tilted,” Pakistan delegate Romina Khurshid Alam said.
Poor nations blasted both rich nations and the presidency with Honduras delegate Malcolm Bryan complaining that the plan was a “completely unbalanced text that doesn’t bring us any closer to a landing .... It is high time for developed countries put their numbers on the table.’’
The EU’s climate envoy Wopke Hoekstra called the draft “imbalanced, unworkable, and not acceptable.”
In a statement, the COP29 Presidency stressed that the drafts “are not final.”
“The COP29 Presidency’s door is always open, and we welcome any bridging proposals that the parties wish to present,” the Presidency said in a statement. It added that possible numbers for a finance goal will be released in the next iteration of the draft.
COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev convened the Qurultay — a traditional Azerbaijani meeting — where negotiators spoke to hear all sides and hammer out a compromise. He said that “after hearing all views, we will outline a way forward regarding future iterations.”
No figure for climate cash leaves many disappointed
Independent experts say that at least $1 trillion is needed in finance to help transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels and toward clean energy like solar and wind, better adapt to the effects of climate change and pay for losses and damages caused by extreme weather.
Esa Ainuu, from the small Pacific island of Niue said, slammed the lack of a number in the draft deal.
“For us in the Pacific, this is critical for us,” Ainuu said. “We can’t escape to the desert. We can’t escape somewhere else. This is reality for us. If finance is not bringing any positive, (then) why’re we coming to COP?”
She added: “I don’t even know if we’re going to be here for a COP 30 or COP 31. Something needs to happen.”
Adao Barbosa, a top negotiator from the Indian ocean nation of Timor-Leste said all developing countries are unhappy with the climate finance deal. As things stand, the deal is weak, Barbosa said.
Mohamed Adow, director of the think tank Power Shift Africa, expressed disappointment at the lack of a figure. “We came here to talk about money. The way you measure money is with numbers. We need a cheque but all we have right now is a blank piece of paper,” he said.
Iskander Erzini Vernoit, director of Moroccan climate think-tank Imal Initiative for Climate and Development, said he was “at a loss for words at how disappointed we are at this stage to have come this far without serious numbers on the table and serious engagement from the developed countries.”
He said that some developed nations “are slowly waking up” to the fact that keeping warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times will require over a trillion dollars in finance. “But many are still asleep at the wheel,” he said.
There’s a lot of work left to do
There are three big parts of the issue where negotiators need to find agreement: How big the numbers are, how much is grants or loans, and who contributes.
Official observers of the talks from the International Institute of Sustainable Development who are allowed to sit in on the closed meetings reported that negotiators have now agreed on not expanding the list of countries that will contribute to global climate funds — at least at these talks. Linda Kalcher, of the think tank Strategic Partnerships, said on the question of grants or loans, the draft text suggests “the need for grants and better access to finance.”
She added that the lack of numbers in the draft text could be a “bluff.” The COP29 presidency, which prepares the texts “should know more ... than what they put on the table,” she said.
Other areas that are being negotiated include commitments to slash planet-warming fossil fuels and how to adapt to climate change. But they’ve also seen little movement.
European nations criticized the package of proposals for not being strong enough in reiterating last year’s call for a transition away from fossil fuels.
“The current text offers no progress” on efforts to cut the world’s emissions of heat-trapping gases, said Germany delegation chief Jennifer Morgan. “This cannot and must not be our response to the suffering of millions of people around the world. We must do better.”
Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s environment minister, also criticized “backsliding” on cutting fossil fuels from last year’s deal.