Pakistan Provinces Clash Over New Canal's Water Allocation

A newly trialed 117km canal, the Jalalpur, has ignited a fresh controversy between Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces, centering on water allocation disputes. Sindh has lodged objections against the project, which aims to irrigate approximately 68,000 hectares in Punjab's Potohar plateau. The canal, designed to draw 1,350 cusecs from the Jhelum River at the Rasul barrage, is intended for use during the Kharif season.

Punjab claims it will utilize its own allocated water share through internal adjustments. However, Sindh questions the source of the estimated 0.5 million acre-feet of water required annually, arguing that Punjab has already distributed its full share under the 1991 Water Accord. Diverting water for the Jalalpur canal would necessitate reducing the allocation for other existing command areas, a move Sindh views as detrimental.

The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) granted a no-objection certificate in September 2014, contingent on Punjab using its own water share. Despite Sindh's sole dissenting vote, the decision passed. Irsa did not, however, scrutinize how Punjab would achieve internal water adjustments without impacting current users. The project's design also features a significantly above-normal water allowance, nearly two-and-a-half times higher than Sindh's canal systems.

Sindh's provincial assembly has voiced grave concern, unanimously adopting a resolution in November 2021 criticizing the Jalalpur canal and related projects. The resolution deemed the project contrary to the 1991 Water Accord and the Irsa Act, 1992, and criticized the federal government for allegedly approving it despite Sindh's legal objections. Earlier, in 2018, the Sindh government had raised similar objections during an Ecnec meeting.