Wheat sowing increases 1.115pc

Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said South Punjab had huge potential of power generation as alone Dera Ghazi Khan (D.G Khan)'s hill torrents had over 1.2 million cusecs water reservoir capacity that could alone generate electricity more than Tarbela Dam.

"As many as three small dams have been approved by the Punjab government to be built at the hill torrents of D.G Khan to conserve the torrential rains' flood water which would help generate electricity," she told.

Zartaj said the region faces extreme weather conditions whereas monsoon rains bring torrential flood in the hill torrents of D.G Khan and the flood water was being wasted due to no storage capacity. It would also help mitigate huge economic and life losses due to the floods in the region.

To curb the unrestrained underground water drilling a Water Table Regulatory Authority was on cards that would help regulate underground water pumping and help safe the depleting aquifers (underground water) that had declined below 1200 feet in Balochistan. She also hinted towards some bureaucratic hiccups hampering the approval of the Authority to take the lead of the initiative as it was their ministry's mandate. The prime minister had given his approval to formulate the body whereas the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan were also on board.

She said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ( PML-N) was creating hurdles for the establishment of South Punjab as Saraiki Province.

The PML-N miscreants had tabled resolution in the Punjab Assembly to reinstate Bahawalpur province to further divide the South Punjab province, she added.