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A Case for Dams on All Gorges
If a person like Naveed Tajammal falls for the line of Sindhi politicians, we do indeed have a problem over not just Kalabagh Dam but any dam. Already, several groups in Sindh have demanded that the lake of Tarbela dam be emptied. That is the extent of the dumbness of the debate.
The fact is that we may build one dam over Indus River or ten, no extra water is needed. Water is needed only once - to fill the dam. Thereafter, the inflow and outflow can be regulated. If both are equal, the water flow will be the same as if no dam existed. The logic of dams is quite simple; DAMS DO NOT CONSUME WATER; THEY ONLY STORE WATER.
If that is too complex, let me explain by the example of routine experience. When supply of water is not reliable, we fill buckets or matkas with water when it is available and consume it when we need to. In cities where water pressure is not sustained, we build a water tank on the roof of the house. We build reservoirs for one reason alone; rain falls and snow melts according to the weather not according to the need of farmers. Our entire country would be a desert but for the most elaborate irrigation system that we have. Dams and reservoirs STORE water and barrages DISTRIBUTE Water. We cannot build a barrage and canals if there is no water; but we CAN and we MUST build dams when rainfall is random and inadequate. We have dams even in Barani areas. There is no water there; just hope of some when rain falls.
The population of Pakistan is rising fast, we need more water for drinking and for agriculture; we need cheaper electricity for industrial development. Dams alone provide us both. Dams cannot be allocated to provinces; dam sites - natural gorges - are a gift of God and the water that can be stored can be supplied to all areas down stream. Sindh benefits from ALL dams. NWFP can benefit from Kalabagh Dam alone because DI Khan is 150 feet above water level in Indus when it passes along its border with the Punjab. The irony is that it is the NWFP that has opposed the Kalabagh Dam most vociferously. Now that Naveed has used their logic I am prepared to acknowledge that their opposition is founded on ignorance rather than any sinister motive.
Usman Khalid
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