Mr Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri has mentioned in his book “Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove”, published recently, that the glaciers feeding our rivers would melt in 30 years time. This information is already known but it stresses the valid point that only KBD could store rain water in the 21st century as it is located below Tarbela where rain falls. This point is studiously ignored by our planners who always talk of ever receding Bhasha dam for which even land has not been procured so far and for which no firm sources for funding exist but two ground breakings have been carried out in 2006 and 2010 to befool the people to draw attention away from KBD.
Four rivers i.e., Indus, Swat, Kabul and Soan, converge before KBD site which flood together in rainy season thereby causing extensive floods and wasting 32 MAF of water down to the sea for lack of a storage reservoir. It is stated that in view of global warming there would be extreme weather expected in future with heavy rains in 21st century. We could capitalise on this fact in time to build KBD that could store both snow melt and glacier water in addition to rain water but who can lead a blind man to water who could die due to lack of water unless someone leads him to water. Unfortunately politicians of day lack foresight and have made KBD a victim of their disastrous policies and as such we see no end to our economic travails in the foreseeable future.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
