The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources on Thursday called for urgent action and complete data on encroachments near rivers and canals to prevent flooding risks.
The meeting of the committee held here under the chairmanship of Senator Shahadat Awan was also attended by Federal Minister for Water Resources, Musadik Malik, and Secretary of Water Resources.
The committee focused on the alarming extent of encroachments near rivers and canals across various provinces and the urgent need for action to prevent potential flooding disasters.
The committee was presented with details on encroachments, which have been a major concern for the country’s flood management efforts.
According to the briefing, provinces like Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan have seen increasing occupation of lands near rivers and canals, raising fears of exacerbated flooding during monsoon seasons.
The committee emphasized the importance of clarity in dealing with encroachments. ‘We need to know how many cases of land occupation are pending in the courts and where exactly these encroachments have occurred’, Chairman of the committee Shahadat Awan asked.
He said if there were no encroachments, the flood situation would not have been so alarming. The committee noted that in KP, 153 encroachments were reported, with 87 having already been removed.
Punjab has also seen 153 encroachments near rivers, while Sindh has reported 26 cases, of which 11 have been removed. However, the committee was concerned that details from Balochistan were still not available.
To enhance monitoring, the Federal Minister for Water Resources, suggested the involvement of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) for satellite surveillance to track encroachments more effectively.
‘SUPARCO would help us monitor encroachments more accurately, providing a clear view of the situation’, he said.
The committee directed the provincial governments to provide full details on the location and extent of encroachments, ensuring that such information is presented at the next meeting.
Senator Shahadat Awan reiterated the need for transparency: ‘Complete details of encroachments should be presented before the committee in our next meeting.’
Despite receiving a briefing, the committee members expressed concern over the insufficient information provided, particularly regarding the specification of where the encroachments have occurred.
Senator Faisal Saleem highlighted the severe implications, noting that ‘Hotels in Swat were washed away by floods, and only then did we realize that encroachments were a key factor.’
He added, ‘This information was gathered via satellite; we did not visit the sites ourselves.’ The committee members emphasized that adequate data and proper measures need to be taken to prevent further flooding and land encroachments.
The committee called for a detailed response from all provincial governments to ensure proper monitoring and removal of illegal encroachments.
With the help of satellite data, the issue of encroachments can now be tracked and managed more effectively to mitigate future flood risks.