Compensate for agro losses: Pak to India

Lahore, Sep 16: Pakistan has decided to claim compensation from India for the agriculture losses it suffered due to the stoppage of water flow by India into the Chenab River. Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah reportedly alleged that India had stopped Pakistan's 200,000 acre-feet water from Friday, Aug 1 to Friday, Sep 12 to fill its Baglihar Dam lake in Kashmir.

He added that data relating to the previous record of water flow in Chenab had been provided to NESPAK (National Engineering Services Pakistan) to ascertain the loss arising out of the stoppage.

Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf would chair a meeting in Islamabad today to discuss the procedure for demanding compensation, the Daily Times quoted Shah as saying.

Separately, Punjab Irrigation Adviser Mehmoodul Hassan said that the water-level in all the canals flowing from the Chenab had fallen by 40 percent, posing threat to the per acre production of rice and cotton.

ANI