Pakistan says won’t build new canals, dousing row over key irrigation project

A drone view shows the Kotri Barrage on the Indus River in Jamshoro, Pakistan April 26, 2025. (REUTERS)

• Government launched project in Feb. to build network of six canals on Indus to irrigate millions of acres of barren lands
• Critics say project would trigger water shortages, weeks of protests forced government to pause plans last week

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Monday decided not to build new canals on River Indus, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said, following weeks of protests in the southern Sindh province over the key irrigation project.
Pakistan’s government launched the ambitious agricultural project in February to build a network of six canals on the Indus. The government said it aimed to irrigate millions of acres of barren lands and ensure food security for 240 million people of the country.
But critics said the project would trigger water shortages in the southern parts of the country, mainly Sindh. The project sparked protests by lawyers, civil society and supporters of nationalist parties that disrupted trade and traffic on National Highway in Sindh, forcing the government last week to pause it.
On Monday, PM Sharif summoned a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), a constitutional body aimed at resolving the disputes between the federation and its provinces, to discuss the irrigation project and heightened tensions with New Delhi over a recent attack in Kashmir among other things.
“Federal Government has decided that no new canals will be built without mutual understanding from CCI,” Sharif’s office said in a statement after the meeting. “It has been decided that the Federal Government will not move further until mutual understanding is evolved among the provinces.”
The development comes at a time when India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan that splits Indus River and its tributaries between Pakistan and India, threatening Pakistan’s food security. Islamabad has described the move as an “act of war” and said it would take “all appropriate steps” to safeguard its due share of water.
Sharif’s office said the government was forming a committee to engage all provincial governments to chart out a long-term consensus roadmap for the development of an agriculture policy and water management infrastructure across Pakistan, adding that water rights of all provinces were enshrined in the Water Apportionment Accord-1991 and Water Policy-2018.
“The committee will propose solutions to Pakistan’s long-term agriculture needs and water use of all provinces in line with the two consensus documents,” it said, adding that any concerns on the proposals would be addressed through due diligence among all stakeholders.
“Water is one of the most precious commodities and the makers of the constitution recognized this, mandating all water disputes to be resolved amicably through mutual understanding.”