There is a glaring case of betrayal of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by the successive governments in depriving KP of its legitimate share of 14% of stored Indus waters by refusing as per Water Accord 1991 to support Kalabagh dam. This is because KP can only avail its share of water from KBD to irrigate 8 lac acres of Dera Ismail Khan district against its 5 per cent irrigated area of Pakistan at present. Even Balochistan has at present 7 per cent irrigated area of Pakistan. The KP politicians have thus deprived their province of irrigating 8 lac acres of virgin land in Dera Ismail Khan due to their destructive policies of keeping their people ignorant of the permanent loss of water which can’t be supplied to them from any dam other than KBD.
This simple process cannot be understood by the people of KP which has frozen any possibility of development in KP. Could one hope an honest and sane policy to emerge from KP given the forward looking government of PTI which is known for steering its people friendly polices so far betrayed by the erstwhile politicians that have ruled the roost in former NWFP and now KP? Merely changing the name of a province is no guarantee for ushering in a spate of progressive policies and programmes. It requires sagacious policies by wise leaders dedicated to the socio-economic development of the province shorn of anti-people polices dictated by vested interests only.
DR M YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
Mr. Yaqoob Bhatti… What do you mean that this simple process cannot be understood by the people of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa? Would you care to mention the fact regarding depriving the people of KP of Wheat supply when they are in need by the province you belong to? Have you ever thought about the fact that how the people of KP have been deprived of peace and traquility and given the gift of terrorism and un-relenting events of suicide bombing? Is it a co-incidence that Balochistan has been given the gift of BLA, Sindh the gift of MQM, and KP the gift of TTP while the incumbent government in your province strikes a deal with Lashkar e Jhangvi of taking their sectarian bloodbath to other provinces? Have you even pondered on the fact why there is a sense of deprivation in the smaller provinces? Have you ever though of depriving the smaller provinces of their right to decide the fate of democratic process in Pakistan when a single province is enough to decide the fate of the electoral process? Even after touching the tip of the iceberg by mentioning these few injustices, have you ever felt ashamed that the major contributors to this country have always been from the smaller provinces? Please spare us your prejudiced and narrow narrative by blaming the people of our province.
Does it make any sense that because of some past grievances, real or imaginary, KPK should deprive itself of its due share of water from the dams. KPK is getting less than 5% from Tarbela dam through the Pehur canals, and it will not get its full share of 14% from any future dam on the Indus without the right bank canal at Kalabagh dam. Just because, in you opinion, Punjab did not give wheat to KPK, you want to deprive the KPK farmers from growing their own wheat.
It is a fact that the Punjab has been exploiting not only KPK but other provinces as well. Look at energy sector. KPK generation resources produce close to 5000 MW, and their demand is only 2500 MW. Thefore there should be no load shedding in KPK. Infact KPK can sell surplus power to the Punjab. Moreover, The Punjab steal low cost cost energy from KPK and sell them back at 5 times the production cost. In fact the Punjab does not have enough generation resources to meet its demand. UIn fact any generation resources the Punjab heavily rely on gas resources from other provinces. Basically it is exploiting other provinves also. How come gas is produced in provinces but control of gas companies in completely under control of Punjabi Management. It has deprived Baluchistan to progress for far too long. It consume more than 70 % of electricity and gas. Major part of punjab,s demand is met from resources of other proviinces without paying fair price in return. This must stop, so that other provinces can progress.
Two persons belonging to Punjab namely Khursheed Anwer & Dr Yaqoob Bhatti are continuously trying to misguide the readers for the last many years. If Punjab is so well wisher of Sindh etc why it is objecting on release of limited water downstream Kotri in Sindh? Whereas in Water Accord 1991, it is clearly mentioned that release of water is mandatory requirement. Consequently, 2.6 million people living in area downstream Kotri are dying in hunger & thirst besides Indus delta has been ruined resulting in emerging formidable environmental disaster. They want to implement such articles of Accord which are in favour of Punjab only and want to convert Sindh completely in desert.Very sorry socalled sympathizers of Sindh & KPK.
It is not KPK but Tarbela dam which is producing 5000 megawatts, Tarbela dam was not built by KPK for the benefit of KPK only it was built by Pakistan for the benefit of the whole country. Is the government spending billions of rupees and billions of dollars of the tax payer’s money to build Bhasha dam for the benefit of Gilgit Baltistan only. Wapda is a federal organisation and it is distributing power to all the provinces as per an agreed formula, it is total ignorance to say that Punjab is taking power according to its own wishes. National resources are to be spent judiciously for the overall benefit of the economy. Gas is being allocated by the government to where it can best help the country, to fertiliser factories, to textile industries, to other industry because that is in the interest of the country. Again it is total ignorance to say that Punjab is taking gas acording to its own wishes.
Really? Past Grievances? My friend you are incredibly delusional… you are shunning away the facts casually and putting forth implausible logic and arguments that do not make sense… KPK and the rest of the smallers provinces are better off without your prejudiced suggestions… and we do know that you are favoring the Kala bagh dam just for the benefit of PUnjab and putting the blame on KPK… none of the smaller provices want the Kalabagh dam not just KPK to try to live with it
It was never agreed to release 10 maf below Kotri for the simple reason that it is just not available. Only a little over 10 maf is being stored in the two dams during the flood season. This has to be kept stored for the Rabi season and cannot be spared for the delta. On the other hand 18 maf has flown below Kotri in 2013, mostly during the three flood months, while there was little or no flow during the remaining nine months. It is this amount which needs to be stored in dams and distributed over the twelve months for year round protection of the delta. But there are no dams to store this amount and it is going waste every year. In any case it is IRSA which distributes river waters and Sindh has three votes in IRSA against one vote for Punjab. It is the height of ignorance to blame Punjab for not releasing the required amount below Kotri.
Yes all the people in the smaller provinces are ignorant… Punjab has been playing a phenominal role in bringing all the provinces together..Punjab has proven to be an epitome of equality and justice…it has provided us with intellectuals like Abid Sher Ali who is the advisor on Energy related issues so we can expect the energy crises to end any moment now..Balochistan is so peaceful, it has made Switzerland look like Harlem….and the people of KPK has never even heard a gun shot for the last 10 years… Punjab has provided us with a visionary and sagacious leader like Nawaz Shareef and has elected him again and again for I dont know how many times to change the destiny of Pakistan… the GDP growth of Pakistan in all his tenures has been phenominal and unprecedented….Balochis these days sing the hymns about the people of Punjab since they have been treated so well and they have abundance of Gas everywhere …It has treated the Sindhi leader so well that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto got himself executed for the love of Punjab….
It is the height of ignorance to say that Punjab wants KBD for its own benefit, under the Water Accord Punjab has agreed to a reduction in its own share to increase Sindh’s share in all future dams, an increase from 34% to 37% for Sindh by reducing Punjab’s share from 40% to 37%, equal share for both despite Punjab having 70% of the total crop area in the country against only 20% for Sindh, and bearing 80% of the total agriculture load of the country. Is it too difficult to understand that it is not Punjab but IRSA which is distributing river waters and will operate KBD just as it is operating Mangla and Tarbela dams for the benefit of all the provinces. After the Water Accord the provinces can submit only a 10 day indent of their requirements to IRSA and have no direct control over the supply to their canals. A monitoring team of engineers from the Sindh irrigation department is posted permanently at the major head works of Punjab, they are in daily contact with their head office and have not reported any misappropriation to date. The choice is ours, either we go by the facts or we keep wallowing in ignorance while people suffer.
We all want the best for Pakistan, none of us are out to harm the country under the influence of Indian lobbies, if at all they exist. I am sure that if we put all our cards on the table, putting our suspicions behind us, we should be able to move towards a consensus.
Whatever I say can be verified from the website of the various irrigation departments. Development of water resources has been at a stand still since Tarbela dam was commissioned in 1976, 38 years ago when the supply to the canals increased to 104 maf per annum. Over this period population has increased from 8 to 19 crore. Demand for food has increased manifold but the supply has not, resulting is serious shortages of water and food resulting in heavy food inflation, adding to the poverty of the poor, directly creating a law and order situation. People have said openly that if the can’t afford to buy expensive food they will steal.
In 2008 there were 5 crore people below the poverty line who have now increased to 8 crore. 12 crore people have been reduced to less than two meals per day. All this because we have not built a dam for 38 years.
continued
Water is available for irrigation during the flood season for the kharif period, but there are serious shortages during early kharif, late kharif and Rabi period. Because of the 38 year hiatus the water shortages are of such a magnitude that it is impossible that even hundreds of small dams can make any difference, or making even a dent in the flood situation.
Unfortunately there are not many sites available in Pakistan for medium dams which can contribute a little. The Gomal Zam medium dam completed recently will produce only 17 megawatts and produce water sufficient only for the immediate vicinity.
Our salvation lies in mega dams. Dasu and Bunji will give us power but no water. Bhasha dam will take at least 10 to 12 years to complete by when the impending water crisis will be upon us since the per capita per annum availability of surface water will drop below the water-scarce level of 1000 cubic meters, which once was 5000 cubic meters. Please visit Google to see what water scarcity will do to the country and its people.
continued
Since KBD will store only the surplus flood water, it will not affect the flow of the Indus which will keep flowing normally. In fact the flow will increase when Sindh’s share from the stored water is released into the river. Since the flow in the Indus will increase rather than decrease, there can be no adverse affect on the Indus delta because of KBD.
As to the fear of Punjab taking too much water, shares of all the provinces have been fixed under the Water Accord. IRSA will supervise releases from the dam which will be suitably monitored.
It will a pity that suspicion should persist despite fool proof arrangements.
Another sore point with Sindh is that Punjab is stealing Indus water through the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals. Tarbela dam was built to transfer surplus water from the Indus to the canals in north and south Punjab which have been deprived of the water of Ravi and Sutlej rivers. All provinces have a legitimate share in the water stored at Tarbela and it is the stored water that is being transferred through the CJ and TP link canals and not water from the river itself.
Even then Sindh is getting a maximum share of 70% from Tarbela, south Punjab is getting only 20% through the link canals, but north Punjab is getting no water from Tarbela dam which it cannot get except through the left bank canal at KBD.
The totally wrong impression that Sinndh will become a desert if KBD is built has deprived the country from 6.1 million acre feet of additional water and 3600 megawatts of clean and cheap power, industry has suffered, private industry is the biggest employer of labour force, agriculture has suffered, agriculture employs half the total labour force of the country and provides direct livelihood to 70% of the rural population, decline in industry and agriculture has put many thousands below the poverty line, exports and export revenues have suffered, economy has suffered, and God knows what else.
It is time that we sit down on the table and thrash out the whole issue. The country and its people have already paid too heavy price.
The End
Sir, kindly note that my comment will be incomplete if the middle part is removed
Sir, there were 5 parts and you have left out one part from the middle, without that part there is no continuity in the comment, there is a begining and an ending but no middlle. All my effort has gone waste. it was a wonderful write up on the very serious subject of dams and rivers,
Can I please send it again to be printed as a column. It is laudable attempt at developing consensus on Kalabagh dam
Efforts to prove that Sindh & KPK Govts. are enimies of their own people by oppossing construction of controversial Kalabagh dam in Punjab, is highly regrettable and unacceptable.Therefore, such efforts must be abandoned immediately as these are creating hatred among Punjab and rest three provinces with the result harming unity of our beloved country.
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