The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has approved the provision of water for the Cholistan Canal System project, facilitating irrigation expansion in the region despite opposition from Sindh.
Irsa Secretary Jahanzab Khan issued a water availability certificate to the Punjab government, confirming the project’s access to water resources.
Following this approval, Punjab will construct the Cholistan Canal, branching from the Sutlej River at Sulemanki Headworks, with an allocation of 450,000 acre-feet of water, according to Irsa sources.
However, Sindh’s representative in Irsa, Ehsan Leghari, registered a formal dissent, calling the approval an unjust decision for Sindh. He argued that the move would diminish the Indus River’s water flow.
“The water allocated under this certificate is not solely from the Sutlej River,” Leghari noted, explaining that water would be drawn via the link canal from Sulemanki Headworks.
The federal government has proposed the construction of six canals along the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan Desert. However, this plan has been strongly opposed by key political and nationalist parties in Sindh.
According to government estimates, the Cholistan Canal System is expected to cost Rs211.4 billion. The project aims to convert thousands of acres of barren land into farmland, bringing approximately 400,000 acres under cultivation.
The approval has sparked widespread protests across Sindh, with political parties, nationalist groups, and civil society organizations staging rallies against what they deem a controversial initiative.
