“We will continue fighting against these canals and won’t let the state kill us by thirst.”
— Wajahat Hussain, Sindhi human-rights lawyer, at a March 2025 protest
1. What Is the Cholistan Canal Project?
| Fact Sheet (2025) |
Details |
| Parent Plan |
Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI) – a $3.3 billion federal programme launched Feb 2025 |
| Scope |
176 km canal + 2 branch canals to divert 4,120 cusecs of water |
| Goal |
Irrigate 1.2 million acres (≈ 4,800 km²) of the Cholistan Desert |
| Timeline |
Construction started Feb 2025 → completion targeted 2030 |
| Cost |
$783 million (≈ Rs 218 billion) |
2. The Promise—Why Islamabad Says “Build It”
- Food Security: Add 2.5 million tons of wheat & cotton annually, cutting $1 billion import bill.
- Export Boost: Projected $25–35 billion textile export revenue.
- Job Creation: 200,000 direct & 600,000 indirect jobs in South Punjab.
- Water Source Logic: 4 months flood surplus + 8 months regulated releases from Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS).
3. The Pushback—Environmental & Social Fault-Lines
🌊 Water Wars
| Stakeholder |
Fear |
| Sindh (Lower Riparian) |
Loss of 70% of its irrigation water; 2.2 million ha delta farmland turning saline |
| Indus Delta |
<1 million acre-feet now reach the sea vs 80 million MAF in 1900—mangroves & fisheries collapsing |
| WWF-Pakistan |
Soil salinisation, biodiversity loss (houbara bustard, caracal) |
🏜️ Desert Ecology at Risk
- Endangered species: Chinkara gazelle, desert fox, houbara bustard.
- Groundwater over-pumping feared once surface water proves unreliable.
🗳️ Political Fallout
| Date |
Event |
| 13 Mar 2025 |
Sindh Assembly passes resolution against GPI |
| 10 Apr 2025 |
PTI submits resolution in National Assembly demanding CCI review |
| End-Apr 2025 |
Construction put on hold pending Council of Common Interests (CCI) consensus |
4. Governance & Legal Gaps
| Instrument |
Status |
| 1991 Water Apportionment Accord |
Mandates 10 MAF downstream Kotri—never enforced |
| Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) |
No public EIA released; WWF calls for comprehensive socio-environmental study |
| CCI Approval |
Required for inter-provincial projects—yet to be tabled |
5. Voices on the Ground
| Who |
Quote |
| Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr., activist |
“This is not a people-centred initiative. It’s a for-profit scheme for cash-crop irrigation.” |
| Maj-Gen (r) Shahid Nazir, GPI Director-General |
“Our top priority is to produce enough wheat domestically.” |
| Hammad Naqi Khan, WWF-Pakistan |
“Large-scale irrigation without strategic planning could exacerbate water insecurity.” |
6. Possible Pathways Forward
| Scenario |
Likelihood |
Key Actions |
| Full Build (current plan) |
Low without CCI consensus |
CCI vote, revised EIA, Sindh compensation package |
| Scaled-Back Pilot |
Medium |
200,000 acres only, smart irrigation (drip, solar pumps) |
| Halt & Rethink |
Rising |
National water summit, glacier-melt adaptation projects instead |
7. What Citizens Can Do This Week
- Track CCI agenda: cci.gov.pk
- Join Sindh-Punjab water dialogues: #SaveIndusDelta Twitter Spaces every Friday
- Offset water footprint: Install low-flow taps (cuts household use 30%)
“The canal is a straw in a river that’s already gasping. If we sip without measuring, we may drown the delta—and with it, millions of livelihoods.”
