Sindh government has formed a committee comprised on the provincial ministers and officers from different departments to review proposed programmes and suggestions mentioned in the United Nation’s draft “living Indus initiative” to improve the water quality and quantity for restoring the Indus Basin health.
The review committee would be comprising of Sindh Minister for Irrigation Department Jam Khan Shoro, Sindh Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development, Muhammad Ismail Raho, Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Qasim Siraj Soomro, MPA Pir Mujeeb and officers from the Environment Protection Agency, Sindh Planing and Development and others relevant departments.
The review committee has to submit its final recommendations to the office of United Nations Resident Coordinator for Pakistan before the June 1st, 2022 as to finalize the draft.
It was decided in a meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, Julien Harneis and others UN officials held at Clifton Karachi. The Meeting was attended by Sindh Ministers including Jam Khan Shoro, Ismail Rahoo, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Qasim Soomro, MPA Pir Mujeeb and others.
During the meeting, UN Resident Coordinator, Julien Harneis said that we had started work on “living Indus Initiative” under the Prime Minster’s climate change committee last year in the month of December and it was realised that there would be made some kind of institutional arrangements that would make sure the suggestions would be proposed to make healthier the Indus Basin.
At last, during the meeting of the committee on climate change, this draft pertaining “Living Indus Initiative” was proposed for Pakistan as the beginning of the conversation to serious efforts to restore the health of the Indus Basin.
He said the water quality of Indus River has contaminated so far we need to engage the society to change their perception and attitudes in order to conserve water and quality of water and to save it from getting it more polluted.
On this occasion, Jam Khan Shoro said that the volume of water has been reduced in the Indus River. The water available for cultivation purposes was not enough and province is facing severe scarcity of water which is leading to sea intrusion and other ecological problems as well.
He said that Indus Basin has also facing a big problem of sedimentation at Guddu and Kotri Lower riparian areas.
He further said that the water quality of Indus River has also been contaminated due to the disposal of toxic chemicals and industrial effluents which entered in the Indus River came across from Punjab.
Sindh Minister Jam Khan Shoro said that Sindh province is working on its water policy which is under its final stage and soon will be finalized.
The Sindh Minster for Environment, Climate Change and Coastal development stressed upon that the detail discussion on the draft of “Living Indus Initiative” would be carried out in the review committee by the all members and later, final recommendations would be proposed and incorporated in the final draft.
He said that the Provincial Climate Policy has sent to the law department for approval and very soon it would be finalized.
