January 2016
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January 2016 NEWS COVERAGE PERIOD JANUARY 25TH TO JANUARY 31ST, 2016 CHRONIC SHORTAGES: BHC GIVES GOVT 11 DAYS TO FIX GWADAR WATER CRISIS The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2016. Mohammad Zafar QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court has given the provincial government 11 days to address the shortage of potable water in the port city of Gwadar while seeking reports from authorities on various issues, including gas load- shedding and transfer of land for a fly-over. Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel gave the direction after hearing three different cases over the past week. On a petition regarding shortage of potable water in Gwadar, Commissioner, DC, Collector Gwadar, Balochistan Development Authority and Secretary PHE presented their reports to the court. Reviewing the reports, Justice Mandokhel expressed his discontent and directed the provincial government to make the desalination plant in Gwadar operational by February 4. The court also ordered the chief minister to lay pipelines in Swar and Shaadi Kor Dam. He was further directed to have PC-1 of Shanlak, Barikor, Sajji Kor and Saman Kor Dams prepared. Gas load-shedding for Industries, CNG pumps? Gas companies in Balochistan have asked the BHC whether they can regulate supplies to industries and CNG pumps in the province in order to boost supply for homes. As the court heard a petition on gas supply, counsels for the Sui Southern Gas Company and Mari Gas offered to prepare a schedule for gas load-shedding. They explained that new gas meters would help cut theft and boost pressure, but many consumers were resisting the move. A counsel for Mari Gas said production from the Zarghoon gas field had been increased to 11.40 mmcft while efforts were underway to double it to 25 mmcft. Justice Mandokhel inquired about Balochistan’s quota of gas and whether it was getting its due share. Before adjourning the hearing till February 16, he asked Mari Gas to explain why gas production had not been increased from Zarghoon field. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1033597/chronic-shortages-bhc-gives-govt-11-days-to-fix-gwadar-water-crisis/ REDIRECTING FLOODWATER: WAPDA REBUFFS SINDH’S CALL TO RAISE CREST LEVEL The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2016 Hasnaat Malik ISLAMABAD: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has rejected the Sindh government’s call to raise the sill level of the Rainy Canal Project, saying the request was ‘unacceptable’ because the canal was ready to operate. Wapda placed a report on the project before the top court in a matter related to implementation of the recommendations made by the Commission on Flood Inquiry 2010. The Rainy Canal Project is one of the mega projects of the water sector that was launched by the then president of Pakistan in October 2002. It will utilise the surplus floodwater of the Indus River when the discharge exceeds 250,000 cusecs. Rainy canal is proposed as a flood canal off-taking from the left side of the Indus River upstream of the Guddu Barrage. The existing Ghotki Feeder is the perennial canal which is also off-taking from the left side of the Guddu Barrage adjacent to the rainy canal. According to the report, the irrigation department believes that since the crest level of the head regulator of the rainy canal is 244 feet — which is the same as the Ghotki Feeder —irrigation supplies to the feeder would be reduced during normal operation, resulting in problems for the farm owners depending on the feeder. Moreover, the provincial department would be unable to fulfil the requisite supplies, especially during shortage of water in the Indus River. Wapda, however, argues that the demand for raising the crest level of the project is unacceptable when the canal is ready for operation. The rainy canal is providing the facility to supply water for defence purposes, and there is official correspondence from the Pakistan Army to the Sindh Irrigation Department as well as Wapda, demanding that there would be water requirement for defence purposes from time to time, says the water authority. Therefore, it adds, Wapda and the defence authorities do not agree to raising the sill level. “If the irrigation department still wants to raise the level, however, it can do so on its own after taking over the project.” The report says the first phase of the project was finalised in June 2014, but the second phase has yet to be completed. Meanwhile, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, disposed of the case. .http://tribune.com.pk/story/1037264/redirecting-floodwater-wapda-rebuffs-sindhs-call-to-raise-crest-level/ NEWS COVERAGE PERIOD JANUARY 18TH TO JANUARY 24TH, 2016 NEELUM JHELUM: FIRST UNIT TO BE COMMISSIONED IN JUNE 2017 The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2016. LAHORE: The first unit of the 969 MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower project will be commissioned in June 2017, while the other three – one at a time – will also come online by December 2017, said Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Zafar Mahmood. During his visit, the chairman observed that progress on most of the components was ahead of the revised schedule. He appreciated project authorities, consultants and contractors for their efforts in expediting the construction work and directed them to continue working at the same pace to complete the strategically important project on time. The chairman visited the dam site at Nauseri, river crossing at Majohi to attend the break-through ceremony of the right tunnel and power house at Chattar Klas. It is pertinent to mention that the two sections of the right tunnel – one excavated from the dam site and the other from the power house – were connected on January 9 against the target date of January 15. “The Neelum Jhelum project is a monument of the Pak-China friendship towards the development of hydropower in Pakistan,” said the chairman while performing the connecting ceremony of the two sections. He was also briefed that the overall progress of the project currently stood at 76%; out of the 68km long tunnel, so far 59km have been excavated while 74% of the dam construction is complete. The power house and the switchyard of the project are scheduled to be completed in November this year Upon completion, the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project will contribute 5.15 billion units of electricity every year to the national grid. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1031983/neelum-jhelum-first-unit-to-be-commissioned-in-june-2017/ EVERY DROP COUNTS: EXPERT STRESSES NEED FOR POLICY TO ENSURE SUSTAINED WATER SUPPLY The Express Tribune, January 23rd, 2016. Ammar Sheikh LAHORE: “The global demand for water by 2030 will increase by more than 40 per cent of the supply today,” Khalid Mohtadullah, an expert in water resources policy, said on Friday, describing the growing population and climate change as the major factors behind the high demand. Mohtadullah was speaking at the inaugural session of Centre for Water Informatics and Technology at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The session titled Smart Water Management: Challenges and Opportunities for Pakistan was attended by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) James Wescoat, Stanford University’s Sally Benson, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology’s Bakshal Lashari, Abubakr Muhammad from the LUMS and former irrigation secretary Arif Nadeem. Mohtadullah gave a presentation on the global water demand and the things to come. He stressed the need for creating a policy to ensure a sustained supply for all. He said the world had made significant progress with regard to achieving millennium development goals (MDGs) in water sustainability. Mohtadullah said agriculture was the sector using most of the fresh water. “It accounts for 70 per cent of water use worldwide. In Pakistan, the ratio is around 95 per cent.” “We must realise the need for addressing the issue of depleting water resources.” He said that reduced and polluted water resources coupled with climate change had forced people to migrate all over the world. A similar trend could soon be seen in Pakistan, Mohtadullah said. He said that for Pakistan water was closely linked to the country’s economy. “Realising the connection between water and economy should be a reason for the stakeholders to act,” he said. Mohtadullah also discussed the impact of the Indus Waters Treaty on Pakistan with regard to a decline in water availability in the country. He said Pakistan must invest in water-storage initiatives to avoid a drought. “Pakistan has only 30 days of water reserves, lower than India and many other countries whose economies largely depend on agriculture.” Speaking to The Express Tribune, LUMS Vice Chancellor Sohail Naqvi said the Centre for Water Informatics and Technology could greatly impact the country’s water policies. He said the centre had brought together people from various academic background… to propose a solution to water scarcity. Later, James Wescoat moderated a panel discussion in which Arif Nadeem stressed the need for Pakistan to address the issue of water pollution. He said River Ravi was the most polluted in the country because of the waste from industries that was dumped in it. Sally Benson said that California had faced similar problems and that Pakistan could benefit from the solutions the US state had come up with to address the issue. “California had faced four years of drought devastating its agriculture sector. However, the state resorted to innovative solutions… lowering its dependence on water.” http://tribune.com.pk/story/1032614/every-drop-counts-expert-stresses-need-for-policy-to-ensure-sustained-water- supply/ PAKISTAN NAVY STARTS WATER SUPPLY TO GWADAR The News, January 23, 2016 ISLAMABAD: Cognizant of the gravity of shortage of water, Chief of the Naval Staff has directed PN authorities to provide all possible relief to residents of Balochistan’s coastal city, Gwadar.