The bureaucratic push to 'green' Cholistan and Thar has resurfaced with renewed vigor, yet it remains anchored in outdated methods: canals that siphon water from distant barrages, routed through engineered pathways into the deserts of Punjab and Sindh. These initiatives not only ignore the unique ecology and rich heritage of the Indus Valley Civilisation but also disregard the resilience of the communities that have endured this harsh landscape, hoping for the revival of a river that had virtually dried up during colonial rule. They echo the same logic that disrupted the Indus' natural flow and drained its delta—divert, control, and colonise. In doing so, new canals have deepened mistrust and ignited outrage in downstream areas, where locals view these projects not as development, but as a continuation of extractive policies that undermine their rights and water security. Amid Pakistan’s dire economic crisis and fragile political stability, this top-down greening agenda is beginning to resemble provocation more than policy.

Floodwater without a Floodplain: A Crisis Engineered

Each year, the Indus and its tributaries carry colossal flood pulses during the monsoon, surging downstream with intensified volume due to accelerated glacier melt and longer rainfall spells. But unlike in the past, the river today no longer has space to spill, meander, or retreat. Its ancient floodplains—once vast, living sponges that absorbed and softened these surges—have been systematically colonised and hardened. When floodwater is denied its space, it finds new, unpredictable paths—breaching dykes, drowning villages, and causing mass dislocation.

The floods of 2010 and 2022 showed just how fragile this engineered system has become. Millions were displaced not because of excessive rainfall alone, but because the river has been robbed of its right to overflow safely. Infrastructure intended to tame the river........

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