Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the government has decided to expedite water storage projects in the country to counter India’s stated plans to weaponize water by unilaterally and illegally holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.
Addressing officials during a visit to the National Emergencies Operations Center (NEOC), the prime minister noted an order of the Permanent Court of Arbitration had ruled that India has no authority to suspend the 1960 accord unilaterally. “But the enemy has certain evil designs against Pakistan and wants to take steps against the waters treaty,” he said, adding that the government had decided to fast-track non-controversial water storage capacity projects under the Water Accord with the provinces to counter such aims. He said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had a critical role in this regard.
Recalling the devastating floods of 2022 that swept through the entire country, Sharif said weather warnings and calamity threats should be regularly issued through text messages in collaboration with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
Noting Pakistan is among the countries most at-risk of natural disasters despite minimal contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, he said glacial melting due to heatwaves requires the highest level of preparedness. “What happened in Swat, when precious lives were lost, engulfed the entire nation in despair,” he said. Stressing the tragic deaths of nearly 20 members of a family should not be politicized, he emphasized the need for an honest review of the incident and the formulation of a comprehensive mechanism in collaboration with provinces to prevent such occurrences in the future. He urged the NDMA to compile a report into the incident outlining preventative measures.
According to the prime minister, the government had negotiated grants and public-private partnerships in the aftermath of the 2022 floods to build resilient infrastructure in the country.
Appreciating the NEOC efforts, Sharif hoped the relevant authorities would fully utilize its resilient platform for the progress of the country’s economy and social sectors. He also assured complete support of the government in strengthening the institute and its capacity building. He further appreciated the NDMA for its role in relief operations for Turkiye and Myanmar.
The prime minister said he wanted NEOC to work with provinces and convey real-time information to ensure early warning of disasters.