WAPDA Chairman briefs parliamentary panel on water challenges, hydropower delays, and India disputes

WAPDA Chairman Lt General Muhammad Saeed (Retd) provided a detailed briefing to a parliamentary committee on the country’s water-related challenges, delays in hydropower projects, security concerns, and water disputes with India. 

As per reports, the session, chaired by Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, also touched on the status of water availability, inter-provincial water distribution, and the need for improvements in Pakistan’s canal infrastructure.

Initially open to the media, the meeting was moved behind closed doors after Chairman Saeed requested that parliamentarians carefully consider discussing sensitive information related to India in public. 

During the briefing, Saeed shared WAPDA’s plans to add 10 million acre-feet (MAF) of water to Pakistan’s reserves in the next four to five years, aiming to boost the country’s total water storage capacity from 13 MAF to 23 MAF annually.

The Chairman also discussed the long-standing issue of the 969 MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, which has been dysfunctional for an extended period. Saeed emphasized the importance of advancing canal infrastructure in all provinces to efficiently utilize the additional water once storage capacity is increased.

He highlighted the country’s reliance on the Indus Water Treaty, noting that water flows from the eastern rivers remain limited, with substantial flows occurring only once every decade during floods. The declining levels of groundwater across Pakistan were also noted as a significant concern.

Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq stressed that water scarcity is one of the country’s most urgent national issues and requires prompt, collective action. He called for a comprehensive national strategy that involves input from all stakeholders, expressing disappointment over the absence of most opposition members at the meeting. 

Only JUI-F attended from the opposition. Sadiq also announced plans to invite the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to brief parliamentarians on various matters in the future.