Kishanganga hydropower project: ‘Pakistan may ask for World Bank arbitration’

[Ray]

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Kishanganga hydropower project: ‘Pakistan may ask for World Bank arbitration’



By Khawaja Naseer

LAHORE: Pakistan has the option to ask the World Bank to arbitrate between it and India over the construction of the 330MW Kishanganga hydropower project on Neelum River in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan Indus Basin Commission member Mahmoodul Hassan Siddiqi said on Saturday.

Talking to reporters after his arrival from New Delhi, he said official talks between India and Pakistan at the Indus Basin Commission level could be considered as having failed because India had not been ready to follow the Indus Basin Treaty for the past 12 years.

Making the announcement about the failure of the Kishanganga talks between both countries official, he said Pakistan would follow the procedure as explained by the Indus Basin Treaty. “Now, dialogue can start at the governmental level or Pakistan can consult the World Bank over the project, as it had done in the case of Baglihar Dam,” he added.

Talking about Pakistan’s repose over the Indian wish to divert Neelum River, Siddiqi said India could not divert Neelum River at any point under the Indus Basin Treaty.

Failure of dialogue between the Indian and Pakistani Indus Basin Commissions is not a new issue, as a three-day meeting between the Indus Basin commissioners of both countries to resolve Pakistan’s objections over the Kishanganga project had already ended without any conclusion on May 10, 2005, because Indian authorities had failed to provide relevant information.

However, Pakistani Indus Basin Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah is still in New Delhi to sign a joint declaration over the dialogue process between both countries. He will return on November 14.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...11-2005_pg7_46

What's the latest on the other water dispute?

[Neo]

What's the latest on the other water dispute?

Seems to be pending.
But in the mean time...

Pakistan's water situation discussed in Delhi

PUSHPENDRA KULSHRESTHA
NEW DELHI (November 16 2005): Pakistan could exploit the idea of rainwater harvesting effectively if it had minimised its financial losses incurred due to the drought in 1999-2000, said B R Sharma of Delhi-based International Water Management Institute, at a conference here on Tuesday.

The 12th International Rainwater Catchment System Conference 2005, inaugurated by Delhi Minister for Urban Development and Finance Ashok Walia in New Delhi on Tuesday, prominently discussed along with India water situation in Pakistan and its neighbouring countries, particularly Afghanistan and Iran.

But, interestingly, no Pakistani representative was present in the crucial conference organised by Association for Food Production (Afpro). There were representatives from over 10 countries participating in the conference, including Bangladesh, Yemen, Brazil, US and UK.

Sharma said that many traditional water structures along the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan had dried up leading to major water shortage. He said the countries, which also include India, must realise that water shortage leads to major socio-economic problems in the region.

He pointed out that in Afghanistan, which was facing major social unrest due to water shortage, it had resulted in growing poppy cultivation. He said that if they could harvest water, they could create job opportunities as well as apart from other things they could cultivate many types of grains and vegetables to meet their daily needs.

He said that not only harvesting but the expansion of the rainwater harvesting was must to sustain the normal social life.

Simple rainwater harvesting techniques can help avert a water scarcity disaster and provide potable water to most of the world's poor , according to the International Rainwater Catchments Systems Association here.

IRCSA Boards president Dr Jessica C Salas said that water is a precious resource, which can no longer be considered infinite because of increasing demands from a burgeoning world population. She said that only a minuscule percentage of total water on the planet is available for drinking purposes and that, too, under stress.

In a four-day conference, experts from the field of rainwater harvesting from all over the world and specially from India will present papers on various technical and socio-economic themes.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?i...term=&supDate=

[Srirangan]

Wow! They now want waters from infidel rivers kishanganga.