Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has warned that Pakistan will not allow any country to exploit its water resources at a time when Pakistan is allowing flood waters to escape to the sea.
He needs to know how the water resources of a country can be exploited to benefit the people:
By storing flood water for use during the non-flood period. By ensuring that water in the wet period can be transferred to the dry period. By ensuring that uniform supplies through the year are available for agriculture, community services and for power generation. By ensuring that the Kharif surplus is made available for the lean Rabi period.
By increasing the per capita availability of water which now is fast approaching the water-scarcity level. By increasing storage capacity to improve the very low percentage of river waters being stored.
By replacing dead storage with live storage without which we will end up with no storage, to alternate between floods and droughts. By increasing contingency reserves which presently stand at suicidal level.
Is the government doing any of the above? India on the other hand is doing all of the above. Certainly warn India, but also do what can be done at home.
Can Pakistan survive if the biggest tract of cropland in the country is deprived of water? North Punjab will never get any water from any dam on the Indus, be it Bhasha, Akhori, Skardu or Katzara.
The only link between north Punjab and the Indus is via the left bank canal at Kalabagh dam.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore