While we in Pakistan are sitting smugly over our predominance in the number of bombs and missile technology India is surreptitiously building scores of dams on the three eastern rivers of our share as per the Indus Basin Treaty.
t appears each dam built on the eastern rivers would equate to an atom bomb in inflicting damage upon Pakistan as reduced irrigation water and short circuiting our capacity to build any mega hydro-electric dams in future.
It is clear as it is reported that India has accumulated international carbon credits in its favour in respect of hydel-power dams that would work to our disadvantage in harnessing energy from our future dam sites.
The abysmal failure of our successive Government in addressing the problem of water and power shortage is leading Pakistan to the brink of disaster. In a recent talk-show on TV, an expert Eng. Suleiman Nagib had said that one MAF of water is equal to US$ two billion.
One could imagine the loss of Pakistan due to this decision to build over a hundred dams on our rivers ostensibly to generate power that would inflict tremendous damage on Pakistan like atom bombs in economic terms.
Given that talks have been resumed with India, it is in our best interests to discuss this matter with India and ask it not to violate the Indus Basin Treaty or to amend it for the benefit of both the parties. This is a serious issue and needs to be handled with caution.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
