AT to observe International River Day on 24 Feb at 06 bridges on Indus as Sit-in protest against additional canals and Shahbaz-Zardari’s Deception

AT to observe International River Day on 24 Feb at 06 bridges on Indus as Sit-in protest against additional canals and Shahbaz-Zardari’s Deception

Hyderabad March 12, 2025. Awami Tahreek will observe the International Day of Action for Rivers on March 14, 2025, with protests at major bridges of the Indus River. The protest will take place at Guddu Barrage, Sukkur Barrage, Kotri Barrage, Dadu-Moro Bridge, Larkana-Khairpur Bridge, Ghotki-Kashmore Bridge, and Jhirk-Mulla Katiar Bridge. Activists will shower rose petals on the Indus River as a mark of respect and hold a day-long sit-inagainst the government’s planned canals.
Advocate Wasand Thari, Central President of Awami Tahreek, and Ms. Umrah Samo, Central President of Sindhiyani Tahreek, said that these canals will destroy Sindh’s water supply and damage the environment. They condemned the projects as anti-people and anti-river. They said the so-called Green Initiative Project is a plan to steal Sindh’s waterand give it to powerful landowners.
They strongly reacted to Asif Ali Zardari’s recent statement on the canal issue. They said Zardari is playing a double game. He approved these projects and now pretends to oppose them. They asked why PPP has not passed a resolution against the canals in the Senate and National Assembly. They said Sindh rejects this deception and will not stop its protest.
They also criticized the silence of Karachi and Hyderabad on the water crisis. They said people in urban areas think this is only a rural issue, but Karachi gets 85% of its water from the Indus River. If water is stolen, the city will suffer. They reminded people that Hyderabad has already faced deadly water crises in the past. They warned that reduced water flow is also destroying Sindh’s coastal mangroves. This makes Karachi more vulnerable to cyclones and tsunamis.
Awami Tahreek has called on all Sindhis and activists to join the protests on March 14 and demand the cancellation of these canals. They said this is a fight for Sindh’s survival and the future of the Indus River.