Did the yearly supplies to the canals in Pakistan increase from 83 maf to 104 maf after the construction of Mangla and Tarbela dams? Has there been any increase in supplies since then for the last 38 years? Has the population increased since then? Has the demand for water for irrigation also increased since then? Can we meet the increased demand with the same amount of water that we had 38 years ago? What can we do to rectify the situation? Can we afford to wait 12 years for a dam? Should we not go for a dam that can be built in half the time? Should we allow the country and its 18 crore people to be held hostage to the unfounded fear that one province will take the water of another province? Can anything be more absurd in this day and age of technology?
The USA has landed a car sized rover on Mars and we can’t manage equitable distribution of water. These are some of the questions for some people; if only they would care to take their heads out of the sand and stop thinking that nothing bad will happen if we carry on like this.