2 weeks Ago By OUR STAFF REPORT
| Anti-canal protests disrupt petroleum products supply to Punjab. KARACHI - Hundreds of protesters, led by students from Karachi and other parts of Sindh, rallied alongside civil society members on Tuesday to denounce the controversial canals project, warning that looming “water wars could erupt into civil unrest” across the metropolis. The past few months have seen nationwide protests from political parties and civilians against the proposed canal project.
On the joint call of the Save Indus Students Alliance and the Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT), protesters marched from the Teen Talwar towards the Fawara Chowk today, carrying placards and chanting slogans to decry the existing water woes in the province. Speaking to media Muneer Hussain, a leader of the Save Indus Student Alliance and a student from Sindh’s Hala, said students from across Karachi were united against the canals issue. “Karachi’s water is sourced from the Sindhu River, and the construction of new canals will drastically reduce the city’s supply.
If that happens, water wars could erupt and spread across Karachi like civil unrest,” he said. PPP urges MQM-P to withdraw its candidate for vacant Senate seat “The citizens [of Karachi] need to understand that the issue is not specific to farmers but an issue of survival for everyone.” The protesters also gathered outside the Governor House for a brief moment, claiming that the city’s governor had accepted the project before the public outcry.
Bisma Barkat, a member of the KBT organising committee, told media. “There are multiple voices present [at the protest] from all walks of life in Sindh. It does not make sense to not be one of those voices because this issue is existential for some [people].
” She called the canals project a “theft of land, water and rights of the people”, adding that “the capitalist interests combined with the state want to take away the rights of the common man [and] what belongs to the common man.” Speaking on how the project would affect Karachi, Barkat said that 85 per cent of the city’s water came from the Keenjhar Lake, which was fed by the Indus River. Don’t mix wheat and canal issues, says Saeed Ghani “If more canals are built on the Indus River, that water won’t reach Keenjhar, and ultimately, it won’t reach the common man in Karachi,” she said.
She continued, “If you do not get water, how do you run a metropolitan city that runs your factories and industries, which employ the poor? “Even if canals are drawn, the golf courses [in Karachi] will still be maintained, but it is the poor people of Karachi who will be most affected,” she added. Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah urged lawyers and opposition parties protesting the planned construction of six new canals on the Indus River to avoid causing public inconvenience by blocking highways during demonstrations. “Please, continue your protest, we support it, but do not cause suffering for the public,” he said while addressing a press conference in Karachi.
SSP for providing foolproof security to polio staff Calling the protests by lawyers and opposition parties “good” as they supported the cause of Sindh’s people, Shah urged demonstrators to be mindful of public inconvenience. “They should also consider the difficulties faced by the people and take care of that,” he said. “Protesting by blocking roads and causing pain to your own people of Sindh — is this a protest?” he asked.
Later in the day, PPP lawmakers staged a walkout of the Senate session in protest against the contentious canal project amid an ongoing dispute with coalition ally PML-N. Meanwhile, the anti-canal protests in Sindh disrupting the supply chain affecting supply of petroleum products to Punjab and interior of Sindh. The Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), in a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of Sindh informed that around 800 oil tankers have been stranded at various places in Larkana and Sukkur regions.
In view of the current situation supply of petroleum products to Punjab and interior of Sindh could be affected, OCAC letter read. OCAC has apprehended shortage of petroleum products in view of the situation. Met Office predicts heatwave for Sindh until April 27 The sit-ins being staged on Sindh’s highways against the approval of controversial canals projects on the Indus River, which has been seen as a threat to the province’s water resources.
Moreover, around 250 containers of potatoes bound for export markets have now been stranded at Sindh’s entry points due to ongoing sit-in protests blocking major highways. These containers, are unable to reach the port due to road blocks. Fruit and Vegetable Exporters have warned that the delay could severely damage the perishable goods, especially since potatoes require constant temperature control, maintained through generators.
“If the containers do not reach the port on time, there is a real threat of the entire consignment being spoiled,” said Waheed Ahmed, patron-in-chief of the association. “The situation could lead to financial loss. He said that the damage will not be limited to exporters.
“If the export orders are cancelled, it’s not just exporters who will suffer — farmers across the country will bear the brunt too.” Exporters urged the Sindh government to step in immediately and ensure that containers carrying export-bound goods are safely transported to the ports. Tags: water wars erupt civil.
