Despite the best irrigation system, we are a country with water issues and this problem is going to get worst as time goes on. Debate on water issues has become a social taboo in our country. Dependence on a single river system means that we have little of the robustness that most other countries enjoy. Pakistan which was once a water-abundant country in the 1950s (having a per capita water Than 5000 M³ persons), will be a water-scarce country by 2017. The per capita water Availability, which is now (1100 M³) persons, will be (1000 M³).
We urgently need series of water storages and Kalabagh dam is prominent in this regard. Kalabagh which is more of technical and project management issue is been politicised and politicians have used it and exploited people by creating misperceptions and confusions about the project. The need for Kalabagh dam is becoming more and more severe as time goes on in current crunching times for our economy.
The idea that smaller dams should be build is right but the fact is that smaller dams cannot replace the bigger dams. The circumstances we are embroiled in right now such that the budget deficit is increasing and very little growth is talking place, we need to focus on bigger projects which can create positive signals in the economy and eradicate the pessimism that the whole economy is facing right now. We need to realise the importance of this project and give a feasible solution and remove all the reservations of parties involved in this project.
There is a general perception among those who matter that had this project been executed according to initial plans, the country would have not faced the power shortages which have already caused losses of billions of rupees to the national economy. Conjecturing apart, the empirical reality does not indicate any change in the traditional positions of conflicting parties. The time is now to change such opinions.
SAQIB FARID
Lahore
