It has been reported in a section of the national Urdu press that India is building 75 dams on Indus, Jhelum and Chenab which would not only store water but also divert water of Indus to Sutlej and Ravi by means of a tunnel. The news is worrisome for Pakistan which has failed to build any dam in the last 35 years. India would tap water of our rivers by building scores of dams including Kargil dam on the Indus as second largest in the world.
What our government is doing in this regard is yet to be seen. On the other hand, they are raising the prices of electricity and petrol at regular but short intervals. We have not built the vital Kalabagh dam while the Bhasha dam is being planned at the most dangerous site in a high seismic activity area.
The government should consider the scientific revelation that the Bhasha dam is being built on a site that is under considerable threat of earthquake and destablising effects. Alternatively, the Kalabagh dam can be built without any of these reservations. Neglecting it amounts to a criminal act. Our political leadership must wake up to the reality and save the nation from follies that can decimate a nation.
MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
