Contacts: In Islamabad: Mariam Sara Altaf, (051) 2279-641 mariamaltaf@worldbank.org In Washington: Erik Nora, (202) 458 4735 enora@worldbank.org Islamabad, February 27, 2007 ─ On February 26 and 27, 2007 a group of around 20 activists conducted a hunger strike outside the World Bank Office in Islamabad in the name of people affected by the Taunsa Barrage Emergency Rehabilitation and Modernization Project. The activists (under the name Sindhu Bachao Tarla assisted by Action Aid) handed over a petition to Mr. John Wall, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. The petition questioned the very need for the repair of Taunsa Barrage; complained that the canal is closed during the winter season, and demanded the World Bank to accede to the establishment of an independent enquiry commission to look into the problems created by this repair. Taunsa barrage was built in 1958 allowing the irrigated agriculture on 1.2 million ha of land in arid landscape of Punjab province and served 6 million farmers and rural communities on regular basis. After 45 years of use, the barrage was considered to be unsafe and too risky to operate both by the experts of the Government of Punjab and the World Bank. Before the commencement of the project, the Government conducted a feasibility study on all keys aspects of it. The feasibility study was then reviewed by a panel of independent international experts, which concluded that the failure of the structure is highly probable. The failure of the barrage would not only cause flood damage and potential loss of life, but would also cause total crop failure to 785,000 ha of irrigated land causing millions of people to fall into poverty. These considerations were instrumental in World Bank’s decision to finance the project on emergency basis. The canals falling under the Taunsa Barrage are classified as non-perennial, i.e. they do not have the formal water entitlements during Rabi (winter) season. However, in the past, water was provided to the canals in Rabi seasons customarily once the demands of the perennial canals were met. For the past 10 years (until 2004) the canals were closed from an annual average 63 to 115 days in D. G. Khan and Muzaffarghar canals respectively due to either lack of water or to regular maintenance works of the Barrage and canals. The closure of these canals during the repair of 2005/06 and 2006/07 were not significantly different from their historic averages. Regarding the activists’ demand on an independent enquiry commission for the project, the World Bank does not have the authority to impose the establishment of such commission. To resolve the issues and complaints related to resettlement, the Government established a Grievance Redressal Committee in 2004 and a Second-Tier Grievance Redressal Committee a month ago, the main purpose of which is to resolve the issues which could not be resolved by the first committee. All key World Bank documents on the project are available to public through its website: www.worldbank.org/pk
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