Marvi Memon in her column ‘Energising Pakistan’ tells us that next door to us, Indian policymakers are vigorously pursuing to add 50,000 MW of hydropower to their energy mix. Does she know that India is doing this by building many mega dams? Then she talks of Pakistan’s energy policy of 2002 which envisaged 22,555 MW of hydropower in a phased programme. Did this policy envisage any mega dams or not? There is only one mega dam that can be built in time to save Pakistan from the energy crisis exploding in its face.
Bhasha dam will be too little and too late. At best it will be a replacement dam for Mangla and Tarbela dams which will be at half mast by then. By saying that Kalabagh dam is ‘technically no-go nationally’, she has totally politicised the issue.
Please don’t tell me that Thar coal will solve all our energy problems, because Thar coal will not give us water which we need more than we need electricity. One can live without electricity but not without food and water.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore
