Indus River System Authority (IRSA) Chairman Rao Irshad Ali Khan said on Monday that Pakistan’s reservoirs used 62% less water this year than estimated.

This development was exposed during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Water Resources of the National Assembly chaired by Nawab Yousuf Talpur.

When briefing the committee on the situation, the chairman of IRSA accused the Sindh provincial government and expressed his opposition to the construction of new dams on the one hand, and demand for increased water supply on the other.

In response to the IRSA chairman’s comments, an MNA in Sindh stated that the province did not receive 5,000 cubic centimeters of water, which was its quota.

On this occasion, Mohsin Leghari, Minister of Irrigation of Punjab Province, stated that this issue should not be politicized. The Common Interest Committee is investigating the matter and has asked the Attorney General to resolve it.

A representative of the Office of the Attorney General said that the water issue is more political than technical and should be resolved in the CCI forum.

The chairman of the committee stated that at the next meeting, the attorney general should come in person and introduce the solution to the water distribution problem through IRSA’s records.

At the same time, the committee was also informed that the country faced a 17% water shortage during the Kharif season.