New Water Policy and Practice Volume 1, Number 2 - Spring 2015 | Page 52

Water Disputes between Punjab and Sindh: A Challenge to Pakistan

between Sindh and Punjab. Punjab constructed a link canal called as “Bambanwala–
Ravi–Bedian (BRBD) link canal” without the consent and approval of Sindh in a clear
violation of Sindh–Punjab Agreement of 1945 (Memon 2002).

Soon after partition, water disputes between two Punjabs also developed. To
resolve it, the chief engineers of East Punjab (India) and West Punjab (Pakistan) signed
a Standstill Agreement on December 20, 1947 providing, inter alia, that until the end
of the current rabi crop, on March 31, 1948, the status quo would be maintained with
regard to water allocation in the Indus Basin irrigation system. After the given date,
the authorities in East Punjab refused the renewal of the agreement upon expiration
and on April 1, 1948, halted the supply of water to several canals in Pakistani territory
(Salman & Uprety, 2002). In this situation one option Pakistan had was to go for war
and many advocated for it but the government avoided it. Finally both sides ready
for dialogue. Following extensive discussions in an Inter-Dominion conference held
in New Delhi on May 3-4 1948, a new agreement was signed (commonly called the
Delhi Agreement) on May 4 1948. Under the terms of that Agreement, East and
West Punjab recognized the necessity to resolve the issues in the spirit of goodwill
and friendship. Without prejudice to its own rights, the government of East Punjab
granted to West Punjab the assurance that it would not suddenly withhold the supply of
water without providing sufficient time for West Punjab to develop alternate sources.
This arrangement was continued until the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), mediated by
the World Bank, was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan (ibid). According
to IWT, India has been allocated 20 percent of water from the IRS while Pakistan
receives 80 percent. Pakistan got rights over rivers Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab plus
Kabul barring some limited uses for India in Jammu and Kashmir. India got the entire
waters from three smaller rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej), and some minor irrigation
uses for Pakistan from four nullahs that join the river Ravi. India was also permitted
to develop additional irrigation of 1.34 million acres in Jammu and Kashmir. Further
India is allowed 3.60 million acre foot (MAF) of storage (0.4 MAF on Indus, 1.5 MAF
on the Jhelum, and 1.7 MAF on the Chenab) (Verghese 2006). Sindhis complaints that
Dr. Saleh Qureshi, a Sindhi, was initially made a member of the negotiating team but
was promptly removed, when the One Unit system was imposed in Pakistan in 1955,
before the serious negotiations began. This they believe was to give water leverage
to Punjab province in the treaty. Moreover, according to the provisions of the IWT,
Pakistan got funds from various donor countries including India and the World Bank
to construct barrages, canals, etc., to utilize its share of water (Memon 2002).

To resolve the internal water disputes, in 1968, under the chairmanship of
Akhtar Hussain, the Water Allocations and Rates Committee was constituted by
the Governor of (then) West Pakistan. Its objective was: to review barrage water
allocations, reservoir release patterns and drawdown levels, and use of ground water
in relation to surface water deliveries. The committee submitted its report in July
1970, but no attention was paid on this report (Mansur 2002; PILDAT 2011). Again in
1970, Justice Fazl-e-Akbar committee was constituted to recommend appo