BAHAWALPUR - Islamia University of Bahawalpur Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Mukhtar praised efforts of the civil society to resolve the socio-economic issues of the Bahawalpur and Cholistan.

He said that the civil society had always remained in front for addressing the problems of Cholistan along with the local administration. He was addressing the participants of a seminar organised on the water scarcity in Cholistan and Bahawalpur. It was arranged jointly by the Civil Society Network Bahawalpur and the Strengthening Participating Organisation at the IUB campus.
He said that unavailability of water due to the climatic and geographical conditions was troublesome in the far-flung dwellings of Cholistan desert in the contemporary age and in this regard NGOs and civil society must play a key role in collaboration with the state departments.
He added that for this purpose, the IUB was always ready to extend maximum cooperation in its limited available resources.
The IUB could also extend collaboration in the improvement of quality and purifying of water and in this connection an exclusive research could be undertaken to resolve the issue of scarcity of water in the desert with cooperation of Al Sadiq Desert Welfare Organization, he said.
The standard of drinkable water is gradually on decline in Bahawalpur and its outskirts and citizens were facing threat of harmful diseases. The IUB was ready to cooperate with public and private sector organizations in all aspects, he added.
Bahawalpur Assistant Commissioner Capt (r) Khalid Mehmood said that the Punjab government was initiating efforts to supply filtered water to Bahawalpur city and constant water supply to Cholistan through pipeline. The doors of the district government were open to every citizen for making joint efforts to solve the grave issue of water scarcity.
SPO Head Naseer Memon said that the 1960 Indus Basin Water Treaty was the root cause of the issue as the then rulers sold the three eastern rivers to the neighboring country hence, the dilapidated condition of water shortage is due to this treaty.
On the occasion, an informative documentary film was also shown about unavailability of water in Cholistan. Former federal parliamentary secretary Ali Hassan Gillani, Chairman, Civil Society Network Shaikh Abbas Raza and representatives of social circles also participated in the seminar.