President Zardari directs completion of Kachhi Canal project within 1.5 years

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday directed the authorities concerned to ensure completion of the Kachhi Canal project within 1.5 years to irrigate around 713,000 acres of land in Balochistan province.

The president, while chairing a meeting on the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI), at Aiwan-e-Sadr, said that the federal government would provide funding for the project to ensure its timely completion on a priority basis, a President House press release said.

In the meeting, the president was briefed about the construction of six strategic canals for the Green Pakistan Initiative. Minister for Interior, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, and senior military officials attended the meeting.

President Zardari was informed that the construction of six strategic canals, viz. Chashma Right Bank Canal, Kachhi Canal, Rainee Canal, Greater Thal Canal, Cholistan Canal, and Thar Canal, would help enhance the agricultural potential of Pakistan by increasing the cultivable area as well as the livestock and fisheries potential of the country.

He directed to kickstart work on strategic canals for GPI and ensure their early completion, besides lining them with concrete to prevent seepage and wastage of water.

He urged the need to develop Pakistan’s irrigation sector along modern lines to conserve water, reduce water losses, and enhance water availability. He also underlined the need to promote drip irrigation in the barren areas surrounding the canals.

The president underscored the need to revamp and improve the Indus River System Authority.

He also proposed establishing a state land bank to productively utilize state-owned lands surrounding strategic canals by securing funding and investment from international financial institutions and the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

The meeting was also briefed that 27 telemetry points would be established to ensure accurate data sharing regarding the availability and flow of water.