{"id":3513227,"date":"2025-05-28T13:28:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T13:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/?p=3513227"},"modified":"2025-05-28T13:30:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T13:30:32","slug":"sindh-farmers-fear-outcomes-of-irrigation-projects-in-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/stories\/2025-05-28\/sindh-farmers-fear-outcomes-of-irrigation-projects-in-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Sindh farmers fear outcomes of irrigation projects in Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><em>In Pakistan, thousands of protesters have fought against the Cholistan Canal Project, which would divert water from the Indus River to irrigate millions of hectares of desert for corporate farming.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Opponents say the project would threaten local desert species and leave small-scale farmers and fishers in Sindh province without the water they need; this comes on top of an existing water shortage in the region.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Water has been one of the region\u2019s most contentious issues, dating back decades and causing a rift between Sindh province and the Federation of Pakistan; now, the future of Pakistan\u2019s water is even more uncertain since India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which governs shared waters between the two countries.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On April 6, Wajahat Hussain, a Sindhi human rights lawyer, spoke at a protest against the planned Cholistan Canal Project on the Indus River in Pakistan. \u201cWe will continue fighting against the recent canals and won\u2019t let the state kill us by thirst,\u201d he said. His words came in response to a 945 billion rupee ($3.3 billion) project, the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI), which would transform the Cholistan Desert with corporate farming, creating six canals to divert water from the river system, leaving small farmers without their farms and Sindh fishers more vulnerable to water scarcity and prolonged droughts.<\/p>\n<p>The Cholistan Canal Project is the biggest component of GPI, a joint effort of the Pakistan Army and government,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1905580\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">launched<\/a>\u00a0in February. The project aims to irrigate 1.9 million hectares (4.8 million acres) of barren desert land in Pakistan\u2019s most populous province, Punjab, to enhance food production and economic growth.<\/p>\n<p>The Cholistan Desert is not just a barren land but home to many local and endangered species like the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.catsg.org\/living-species-caracal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">caracal cat (<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.catsg.org\/living-species-caracal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><em>Caracal caracal<\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.catsg.org\/living-species-caracal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">),<\/a>\u00a0chinkara gazelle (<em>Gazella bennettii<\/em>), houbara bustard (<em>Chlamydotis undulata<\/em>) and desert fox (<em>Vulpes vulpes pusilla<\/em>). Turning the desert green would contribute to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thefridaytimes.com\/28-Oct-2024\/why-agriculture-is-a-risky-gamble-in-cholistan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">decline\u00a0<\/a>of these species. Corporate farming would use the latest modern\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpakistaninitiative.com\/flip-book\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">techniques<\/a>\u00a0like AI-based disease, weed and pest detection, soil viability mapping, yield forecasting and monitoring. In this way, human labor would be minimized and production of wheat, cotton, rice and canola would likely increase substantially.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of protesters have blocked the major highway in Sindh, demonstrating against a project they think would cause extreme water shortages in the province \u2013\u2013 eventually destroying the delta in Sindh, Pakistan\u2019s second-most-populous province, home to more than 55 million people. Sindh has an agriculture-dependent economy that relies on the Indus River for irrigation and drinking water.<\/p>\n<p>Wajahat was one of the protesters.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cEvery society has different issues, but the issue of water is one that nobody compromises on,\u201d Wajahat told Mongabay. \u201cThe state of Pakistan is extending colonial policies like building barrages, dams and canals on the upper riparian that affect the people who live in the lower riparian areas, like Sindh,\u201d Wajahat explained.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Indus River is one of the largest rivers in the world, flowing from Tibet to Indian-administered Kashmir and then diverting south to Pakistan. It forms several smaller rivers, streams and lakes in upstream Punjab and travels to Sindh, eventually draining into the Arabian Sea. Mongabay spoke to Naseer Memon, who is a climate change expert and civil engineer, to understand the environmental challenges of this project.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFor the last 25 years, there has been a 19.5% annual average water shortage in the Indus system. There is no other way to irrigate a desert without diverting Indus water from upstream.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He explained that this diversion would have devastating consequences, leading to extremely limited water for Sindh. While speaking of the proponents of the project, he said their arguments are rooted in a belief that water is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nation.com.pk\/06-Aug-2024\/pakistan-s-one-third-natural-water-wasted-into-sea-senator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">wasted<\/a>\u00a0in the delta.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFreshwater does not get wasted in the delta, but on the contrary, it is the source of silt disposal that resists water intrusion and land loss. This nonscientific attitude has to be changed, or it will destroy ecology,\u201d he argued.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sindh is already facing multiple climate change effects, including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2025\/03\/in-pakistan-sea-level-rise-displacement-follow-fisherfolk-wherever-they-go\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">sea level rise<\/a>, extreme heat waves, droughts and a disappearing delta. These factors have triggered\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/short-article\/2024\/11\/karachi-expected-to-receive-2-3-million-climate-migrants-by-2050-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">migrations<\/a>, especially in the coastal region. The fisherfolk of low-lying areas are migrating to Karachi to survive, but water intrusion on Karachi\u2019s coast has again put them in a vulnerable situation. The shrinking of the delta and water intrusion on the Sindh coastline result from the absence of the Indus River\u2019s freshwater flow from the upstream\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kotri_Barrage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Kotri Barrage<\/a>. The water shortage leads to low flows in the delta that are not strong enough flow for silt deposition \u2014 or for the river to thrive, Naseer said.<\/p>\n<p>Water has been one of the region\u2019s most contentious issues, causing a rift between Sindh province and the Federation of Pakistan, and this conflict has a long history. It first emerged after the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 between Pakistan and India. According to the treaty, Pakistan controls three rivers \u2014 the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum \u2014 while India controls the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. In 1980, under martial law, the government of Pakistan proposed building a dam on the Indus River from Punjab\u2019s Kalabagh city, which was named the Kalabagh Dam. It was the most controversial dam project in Pakistan, and the people of Sindh agitated against it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/27115935\/Cholistan-canal-map_THIS-ONE-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-299715 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/27115935\/Cholistan-canal-map_THIS-ONE-scaled.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>A proposed canal project to divert waters from the Indus River in order to irrigate the Cholistan Desert has sparked protests and concerns among Sindh farmers. Image by Andr\u00e9s Alegr\u00eda\/Mongabay.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Cholistan Canal Project is an extension of the Kalabagh Dam project. Both times, the government disregarded the water crisis Sindh will face just to upscale fresh crop production in Punjab,\u201d Ibrahim Buriro, a researcher on the ecology of Sindh and development, told Mongabay on the phone. However, the Kalabagh Dam was never built, and after the controversy, the federal government introduced the Water Apportionment Accord 1991, which laid down principles for sharing river waters among the provinces.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe grievances of the people of Sindh have a historical background, and unless those are addressed, this issue cannot be solved,\u201d Bisma Barkat, a representative of the Save Indus Student Alliance, told Mongabay. \u201cI have seen communities coming together to save the Indus; it resonates with the emotional attachment to the river, which is just water for the state \u2014 and for us, it is our everything,\u201d Bisma said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The movement against Kalabagh was also large and spread across Sindh. Women were at the forefront of that movement. Pireh Soomro belongs to the women-led Sindhiyani Tehreek (the Movement of Sindhi Women), which was involved in the struggle against the Kalabagh Dam, and now the organization is again on the streets against the canal project. Before joining one of the main protests, a sit-in at what\u2019s known as the Babarloi Bypass, Mongabay talked to Pireh on the phone to understand how this project will affect women and children, especially those who are farmers or fisherfolk.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWomen living on the delta are losing their jobs, autonomy and agency due to the loss of their habitat,\u201d Pireh said. \u201cSeawater has gulped our land and forced us to migrate to higher grounds. If the water is diverted from the upstream, whatever life is left in the delta will be extinct.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>However, despite these protests across Sindh, Karachi\u2019s urban middle and upper classes remained isolated from the ongoing movement. The protests that happened in Karachi for the canal issue saw little participation from non-Sindhi-speaking communities. Khurram Ali, an Urdu-speaking organizer with the Save Karachi Movement (Karachi Bachao Tehreek), thinks water shortage in the Indus River is directly threatening Karachi\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWater in Karachi is a class issue. People who live in posh areas can afford water tankers, but lower classes cannot, nor do they have streets where a tanker can travel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a wide gap, and people of Karachi feel they have no representation politically; that\u2019s why they are alienated,\u201d Khurram said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Karachi has a water shortage of 650 million gallons per day (MGD), and to supply the shortfall, a federal agency is constructing another project that will supply water from Keenjhar Lake, located roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles) away from Karachi. This lake originates from the right bank of the Indus River. If the Indus faces a water shortage, this will also affect the supply to Karachi.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/27115709\/A_group_of_folk_singers_in_the_Cholistan_Desert_with_unique_musical_instruments-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-299714 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/27115709\/A_group_of_folk_singers_in_the_Cholistan_Desert_with_unique_musical_instruments-1.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Folk singers play their instruments in the Cholistan Desert. Image by Tahsin Shah via\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:A_group_of_folk_singers_in_the_Cholistan_Desert_with_unique_musical_instruments.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/deed.en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For now, the Cholistan Canal Project is up in the air, though tensions over water have only escalated. On April 28, the Pakistan government suspended the canal project and instructed that until all the provinces are on the same page, the project will not kick off. A few days before this announcement, the Indus River had made international headlines after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killed 26 tourists. This event has put the two countries face-to-face on the borders. Following the attack, the Indian government suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 \u2014 a decision that could have serious consequences for Pakistan\u2019s water security. In the 65-year history of this treaty, never before has such an escalation occurred.<\/p>\n<p>From development projects like dams and barrages to the disappearance of the delta, the Indus River has been the bone of contention among provinces since colonial times, and after centuries, it still is. Sindh has only\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/irrigation.sindh.gov.pk\/files\/Books\/reports\/23.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">two creeks left out of 17<\/a>, because seawater is gulping the lands at increasing rates. These problems date back to when\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/2321023016665529\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">the British government<\/a>\u00a0tried to alter the Indus River upstream to irrigate \u201cwasteland.\u201d Pakistan extended the legacy by making more canals and barriers. And now, experts say it\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cd7vjyezypqo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">remains unclear<\/a>\u00a0how the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty could ultimately affect Pakistan\u2019s populations downstream \u2014 though concerns run high.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cRivers are living consciousness; they remember their flowing patterns and diversions, blockades, and any attempt to tamper with them only results in destruction,\u201d Ibrahim explained.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Citation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ranjan, A. (2016). Disputed waters: India, Pakistan and the Transboundary rivers.\u00a0<em>Studies in Indian Politics<\/em>,\u00a0<em>4<\/em>(2), 191-205. doi:<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/2321023016665529\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">10.1177\/2321023016665529<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Pakistan, thousands of protesters have fought against the Cholistan Canal Project, which would divert water from the Indus River to irrigate millions of hectares of desert for corporate farming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128238,"featured_media":3513240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79718,79719,213531],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3513227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-foodwater","category-food-water-featured"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/128238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3513227"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3513243,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513227\/revisions\/3513243"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3513240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3513227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3513227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3513227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}