The severe water crisis in Pakistan may create fissures between the two major coalition partners — Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) –and can further deteriorate the human rights situation in Balochistan.
The differences between the provincial governments can crop up with the government in Sindh blaming the Punjab government for not releasing enough water required for the province’s needs.According to a Canada-based think tank, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS), this water issue will propel differences between the PPP and PML-N and might deteriorate the human rights situation in Balochistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government has also completely failed in addressing the worsening water crisis in Pakistan, reported.
This comes as Pakistan is facing a serious climate disaster amid the debilitating water crisis in large parts of the country. Among the other reasons for the water shortage in Pakistan are low rainfall, recurring heat waves, and underdeveloped water-storage facilities.
Moreover, Sharif’s home province, Punjab, appears to be less affected by the water crisis, while the remaining three provinces are bearing a huge brunt of the reduced water supply.Pakistan’s current Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari last year criticised the former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s actions to deprive Sindh of its rightful share of water and create a water crisis.
No effective solution seems to have been provided by the government to address this long-standing water-sharing issue. Tensions are running high between the two provinces.According to the recently released United Nations (UN) ‘Global Land Outlook’ report, Pakistan is part of the 23 countries in the world that are suffering from a “severe and prolonged drought.”
The situation is drought-like in several parts of Sindh and desert areas of South Punjab, including Cholistan, Thal etc. Not only this worsening water crisis in Balochistan and Sindh is leading to the unavailability of water for human consumption and agricultural purposes. but it is also causing health issues.
Over 85 per cent of Balochistan’s population is deprived of clean drinking water. Therefore, it is not surprising that a deadly cholera outbreak has killed six people and infected over 2,500 since mid-April in Dera Bugti district’s Pir Koh tehsil, as per the think tank.Regarding the issue, an inquiry committee has been set up to look into the complaints of Sindh about “water theft” by Punjab.
Punjab’s irrigation authorities have also blamed the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) for worsening the crisis by apportioning the province up to 26 per cent less water than its total share in the last month.What is interesting to note is that there are similar examples of water crisis in other areas of Balochistan, such as Gwadar, the focal point of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).It is ironic that despite the so-called development of the Gwadar Port, and its adjoining areas by the Chinese companies, the local population is facing an acute water shortage. Massive protests had erupted in Gwadar in November last year against a severe shortage of water and electricity and threats to livelihoods from illegal fishing by Chinese fishermen.