Raising the issue of the water crisis in the country at the federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the problem lay in obstacles in the way of judicious distribution of water among the federating units by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA).
Sources said that Bilawal, who is also Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman, said that people in general, and the farmers in particular, were suffering on account of acute water shortage.
He further said that ‘mismanagement’ on the part of the last Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, which was responsible for the shortage of fertilizer as well as unequal distribution of water, had affected the crops in the southern parts of the country the most. “And when in the past the Sindh government suggested installation of gas generation power plants, none of the parties ruling at Center paid any heed to it,” he regretted.
The minister, on the occasion, also suggested the constitution of the Food Security Taskforce in order to deal with the expected food shortage. NNI
