The recent report published in the national English press states that World Bank has declined to fund Bhasha Dam for the next five years i.e., up to 2019. This puts us back to square one alongwith Kalabagh dam. The nation has been led up the garden path by dangling Bhasha dam carrot before its eyes since 2006 when the first so called ground breaking was done of the dam and now we are told it is linked with NOC from India. The people of Pakistan have been befooled and dust thrown in their eyes by keeping KBD on back burner and now hopes of Bhasha dam are dashed to the ground with little hope of retrieval. There is a report in the National Geographic Journal of May 2014 that a hand-made dam was constructed in India by 125,000 workers in 1972 on India’s Krishna River without any imported machinery and simply by muscle power. The dam, named Nagarjuna Sagar, was 407 feet high and more than half a mile long which is the largest masonry dam in operation in the world. Would our benighted economists and engineers draw any lesson from the above report?
DR M YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
Islamic Republic Of Pakistan must Aproach to Islamic Republic Of Iran they Can Finance and Build any Dam a Political Decision is Needed they can offer Ir Pakistan a TKP turn key project BAO Build and Operate any Dam we are waiting for, English Political System Has Falied in Ir Pakistan
Mr Bhatti. You & Mr Khursheed Anwer both are always pleading for building new dams in Pakistan but you are silent on non-implementating Water Accord – 1991 that clearly shows the mandatory release of water downstream Kotri in order to save Indus delta – the sixth largest in the world. Due to non release of mandatory water downstream Kotri, 2.6 million people living in area between Kotri& Arabian Sea are also dying due to hunger & thirst despite they are Pakistani Sindhis, Mulims & human beings. Punjab's objection for release of water Kotri downstream in contravention of Water Accord – 1991 is highly regrettable.
Let us just forget reports. the fact is we need to build dams small and big for our needs. The present government of iron Smiths and gawalas of Gawalmandi can not think beyond sripawas and nihari. How can we epect from them to build dams or solve the problems faced by the nation. We must forget foreign loans and funding. we should use our own resources.
we need a water and power policy and educated ministers, not Kh. Asif and Abid Sher Ali to run the water and power ministry. These two idiots are not fit for the job. We must throw these buggers out of the government to start with. Appoint some persons who know about the needs of the nation.
Why we should forget some facts? One third part of Sindh has already been turned into desert (Kotri to Arabian Sea) and as per Shaheed Benazir Bhutto while observing historical sit in at Sindh – Punjab border in the past, she had said if controversial Kalabagh dam is built, Sindh would completely be turned into desert. Punjab is usurping Sindh's share of water daringly in the past. Whenever Sindh's share water is released from Chashma / Taunsa, water is being stolen by installing 10,000 uplift pumps in Punjab's jurisdiction. There is a solution that IRSA should ensure supply of Sindh's share of water at Gudu but IRSA has now become another WAPDA who only ensure interests of only Punjab.
I condemn your personal attack. I said in Water Accord, it was mentioned Limited Water is to be released and did not mention 10MAF. Mr Anwer claims wrongly every where Sindh has three votes. For 09 years, Punjab had Double votes but he does not mention any where. Mr Anwer should know that three provincial assemblies out of four, have passed about 09 resolutions against controversial Kalabagh dam in Punjab. Therefore, forcible consensus on Kalabagh dam in Punjab would harm our beloved country. For unknown reasons, he has written thousands of letter in favour of notorious Kalabagh dam perhaps meant to weaken Pakistan. He should know forcible decision resulted in separation of East Pakistan so he should avoid such practice forthwith. Mr Anwer is continuously creating hatred against three provinces particularly Sindh giving wrong impression that the govt of three provinces are not well-wishers of their own people, only Punjab is their well-wisher. Some one should notice such activities meant to harm unity of Pakistan and they should find what are such people intentions behind it. Mr Anwer do not be personalised as earlier.
mr sial is congenital anti kala bagh syndrome.he like devil reciting scriptures to his suiting would not mind bringing bogus reasons to oppose kbd[for what reasons,there are so many views about.people like him are drying sind and entire pakistan while keeps on building hundred of dams on our rivers to ensure its national growth prosperity.now basha dam which was always nearly a non viability for it seiemic geography etc has put to doldrum by wb on indiias; ojjection serving the purpose of people like sial who want to see punjab baRREN,DESERT IN HATE OF PUNJAB,PAKISTAN AND STRANGE LOVE OF SIND.
mr sial is congenital anti kala bagh syndrome.he like devil reciting scriptures to his suiting would not mind bringing bogus reasons to oppose kbd[for what reasons,there are so many views about.people like him are drying sind and entire pakistan while india keeps on building hundred of dams on our rivers to ensure its national growth prosperity.now basha dam which was always nearly a non viability for it seisemic geography etc has been put to doldrum by wb on indiias' objection serving the purpose of people like sial who want to see punjab barren,desert in hate of his congenital hate of punjab and pakistan
I am sorry for the personal remarks, everyone has a right to his views, I strongly criticise people who call the opponents of KBD traitors and Indian agents, the opponents of KBD are as patriotic as anyone else but they have been misled by their leaders who have played partisan politics with the issue of KBD.
The exact wording of the Accord are:
•The need for storages, wherever feasible on the Indus and other rivers was admitted and recognized by the participants for planned future agricultural development.
•The need for certain minimum escapage to sea, below Kotri, to check sea intrusion was recognized. Sindh held the view, that the optimum level was 10 MAF, which was discussed at length, while other studies indicated lower/high figures. It was, therefore, decided that further studies would be undertaken to establish the minimal escapage needs downstream Kotri.
There is no mention at all in the Accord of limited water to be released,
The thing to understand is that whatever the amount finally arrived at has to be distributed over the twelve months. This can only be done by storing the amount in dams and a the required monthly dose released for year round protection of the delta. Can Mr Sial tell me of any other way that this can be done.
Already 18 maf has flown below Kotri in 2013 from January to December as recorded by the Sindh irrigation department:
Jan-0.056, Feb-0.058, Mar-0.039, Apr-0.0, May-0.0, Jun-0.194, Jul-0.894, Aug-10.007, Sep-7.053, Oct-0.032, Nov-0.0, Dec-0.041
It will be noticed that maximum flow has been in July, August and September (17.95), while April, May and November show zero flow.
Obviously this pattern of flow cannot protect the delta, the required amount has to be stored in dams and a regulated monthly amount released to the delta.
Are the assembly members aware that we are storing only 9% of our annual river flows (world average 40%), which is causing a decline in the availability of water per person per annum, from 5000 cubic meters to 1020 cubic meters (1000 cu m will make us water scarce), do the assembly members know what water scarcity is and what it will do to the country, do they know that 83% of our river flows are in the three flood months and only 17% in the remaining nine months, if water is not stored in dams in the surplus Kharif period, it will not be available for the Rabi period when river flows are very low, do they know that we have storage enough only for 30 days (India 120 days) for any contingency on our rivers like what happened at Hunza and as is happening in India held Kashmir.
If Mr Sial can get me an answer from the assembly members on even one of these points I will be grateful.
Please see the Sindh assembly resolution which was passed without debate in five minutes, even the spellings are wrong.
“The House resolves that the proposed Kalabagh dam, being detriminated (detrimental) to the interest of Pakistan in general and Sindh province in particular, be dropped. The House therefore recommends to the federal government to abandon this project once (and) for (all) to remove the misgivings of the people of Pakistan about Kalabagh dam”.
We all want the best for the country, only some of us have been misguided by our leaders. Benazir Bhutto was no authority on dams, Z A Bhutto was a staunch supporter of Tarbela dam, and work started on Kalabagh dam during his regime.
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