Cotton sowing in many areas in South Punjab is three to four weeks behind schedule due to abnormal drops in canal water. Canals in Punjab were facing an extreme shortfall. Taunsa canals (DGK and MZG) were getting 3,000 cusecs against 12,000 cusecs demand, showing a 75% shortfall. Similarly, Panjnad was also getting 3,000 cusecs against 14,000 cusecs demands, registering a 79% shortfall. Despite improvement in Indus and Kabul Rivers, water is not being supplied to South Punjab canals, further exacerbating water scarcity in the parched fields.

Farooq Bajwa, Founding Convenor, Punjab Water Council, said, “Amid the hottest summer ever, we are made to bear the brunt of drought situation in the absence of much-needed canal supplies. Our hardships multiply when we see deafening silence at the helm of affairs over one of the most burning issues of Punjab outback, comprising Bahawalpur Division along the Cholistan Desert. Are we not equal citizens of the province or country?”

The government of Pakistan should take immediate action to fulfill farmers’ needs so that the cotton shortage can be overcome in the future. Pakistan, a textile country, relies on cotton, and a shortage of cotton could further increase the price, which will not be in the favor of the textile sector and country’s economy.