Limitation of Engineering Solutions: Social scientist and intellectuals are of view that water scarcity is not just natural phenomena that occurs due to climatic changes but is also a factor of poorly defined policies which the state adopts. Therefore addressing the issue of water only from the perspectives of technological or engineering solutions will only add to our misery.
On the other hand, they suggested the social remedies to our problem which focus on the indigenous mobilisation, social structures and formation of local technology.
However, it was interesting to note that with some exception nearly all political leaders (though some of them were against Kalabagh Dam) and engineering experts in the sample are arguing for engineering solutions to the problem and in fact the government is also tiled to have engineering solution for our water problem and therefore they view Kalabagh as technical issue and fails to realise the social and other ecological considerations.
Mass diaspora: Another category which emerged is the mass movement of different local communities living at or near the vicinity of Kalabagh Dam. Though, the issue of Mass Diaspora of local community is not very much vocalised in masses and media but while interviewing with social researchers about the issue researcher find this issue quite important to be addressed. It is quite evident that the development planners and government had paid little attention to this problem. Their whole priority is to ease economic impacts of displacement through compensation. One of the respondents said
"holistic notion of displacement is not addressed" The respondent further said. "Government approach has failed to realise the phenomena of social collectivity and social kinship which human forms with their surrounding"
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
In order to sustain a balance between sea and river water it is very important that certain amount of river water should be discharge to sea. Under Water Accord 1991 this amount was decided to be 10 MAF. However, it is interesting to note that the quantity of outflow water to sea is reducing. Researcher was given information that this 10 MAF of outflow water to sea is only available for 24 out of 72 months hence, drastically affecting the environment. Moreover, discussions with experts and political leaders yield that the colossal damage has already been caused.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ARE:
-- Drastic reduction in silt from 200 million tones per year in 1947 to 36 million tones per year. This has resulted in the erosion of degradation of delta and subsequent sea water intrusion.
-- Furthermore this disturbance in balance of sea and river water has put the Pala fish in the list of endangered species.
-- And has eroded the 600,000 acres of riverian forests and 550,000 acres of sailaba areas of Sindh.
Air of mistrust: An air of mistrust toward Punjab and federal Government was quite evident and resonated in almost all the interviews. Political leaders viewed the issue of mistrust as a failure of democratic institutions and governance in Pakistan. One of the nationalist Sindhi leaders said.
"There is a fog of mistrust between the other provinces and Punjab. Violations of Water Accord of 1991 by Punjab has created the air of mistrust. He further said. "Kalabagh is a product of mistrust and cannot go away by assurances from the provincial government of Punjab or by the offer of constitutional guarantees in a country where supra constitutional deviations have frequently occurred and have been upheld by the Supreme Court on the ground of necessity."
LACK OF CONSERVATION APPROACH: Institutional policies of Agricultural sector in Pakistan have assumed this belief that geographical location of Pakistan is water abounded. This view has resulted in high amount of water wastage that occurs in irrigation practices and the way water resources are consumed for domestic and economical purposes.
Respondents are of opinion that current water crises can be resolved by introducing effective water conservation policies and eliminating water intensive crops from Sindh. They suggested that awareness campaigns should be organised and training programs need to be initiated by provincial government to mobilise people about how to improve yield at the same time decreasing water consumptions. An expert said that the only alternative to Kalabagh is to have a conservation strategy. "Water saving technology and water conservation strategy is the alternatives to Kalabagh"
While responding to the question about what kind of strategy to be adopted for water conservation an economist also shared his view of using pricing mechanism for crops as a tool for water conservation. "If farmers get better returns on crops which are less water intensive they will definitely shift"
AN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER INFORMED THE RESEARCHER THAT:
"... of the total disbursal the losses in water diversion between canal heads and water channels is about 1/3 approx 34 MAF and total water losses within watercourses is estimated at 1/3 of delivery ie 34 MAF and therefore only 1/3 of total disbursal of water reach to the farmers. If we did not improve the situation of water losses and construct Kalabagh and Bhasha Dam that together process maximum of 14 MAF. Following the logic of water losses two-thirds of the 14 MAF they produce will be lost through poor distribution and hence only one-third ie only about 4.7 MAF will be available in all of Pakistan, which I think is quite costly."
PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY: One of the advantages the Kalabagh Dam will bring to the nation is the production of low cost hydro power energy. Researcher was informed by one of the engineers that the annual generation of energy at Kalabagh would amount to about 11,200 GWh, generated by hydro power plant of 2400 MW capacity. This capacity will ultimately be increased to 3600 MW, making KBD one of the largest hydro generation dams in Asia. Furthermore, the electricity cost due to the construction of this hydro power plant will reduce to Rs 1 or Rs 2 from existing price of Rs 4 or Rs 5.
"We will be producing electricity in Rs 1 or Rs 1.5 after the construction of Kalabagh Dam and this cost will reduce to 15 paisa after 15 years.. Now comparing it with that of you getting Rs 4 to Rs 5 thermal electricity, don't you think it is a benefit?
However, some of the experts apposed this idea of cheap energy production. For them. "First, hydel power is cheaper only if the capital for dam construction is obtained at heavily subsidised interest rates which in Kalabagh case would not be true,"
CONCLUSION AND AREAS OF FURTHER RESEARCH: A critical examination of different aspect of this study review reveals that the issues of Kalabagh Dam is caused due to policy failures, inadequate infrastructure, a strong sense of resentment and deprivation and moreover, Government's inability to create consensus among different stakeholders.
Thus, this failure has thereby generated a mechanism where different communities/stakeholders use to shift the balance of power in their favour, disturbing the equilibrium and transforming the natural calamity (scarcity of water) into socially constructed disaster (destruction of livelihoods and different kinds on environmental impacts). This study also explains the nature of state where solutions to problems are understood in the context of economics and not in terms of social rights of the people.
Furthermore, the quantitative analysis of data depicts that the public (Karachi and Urban Sindh) is aware of this issues and their views are in alignment of the views shared by the stakeholders. The quantitative analysis also reveals a lack of awareness at public's end in some aspects, which are mainly technical such as availability of water and data exaggerations.
IN THE LIGHT OF THE GIVEN STUDY FOLLOWING AREAS FOR FURTHER STUDIES ARE SUGGESTED:
1. Researcher has identified a need for a comparative study between the benefits (both economic and social) and opportunities Kalabagh Dam will create and the benefits produced by the adoption of water saving methods in irrigation system of Pakistan.
2. There is also a need for an ethnographic survey which highlights the impact of creating Kalabagh to local and neighbouring communities in terms of mass displacement, social and kinship structures, power and resource distribution.
3. Researcher thinks it is also necessary to develop a study that critically examines and analyses water policies of Pakistan and the impact it has created in terms of political and social disturbance. Moreover, the study should also provide suggestions to improve the policy that will benefit all the stakeholders.
4. There is also a need of conducting a comprehensive historical research in order to analyse how certain factors, especially religion, have influenced in shaping indigenous perceptions of childhood. This will be helpful in understanding the most prominent source(s) of influence within culture.
-- This paper is excerpted from an Independent Research study which was submitted and approved by SZABIST, Karachi. Permission has been obtained for its publication in Journals and Magazines.
-- Mr S.M. Shafi Azam is an independent management consultant and a visiting faculty member, thesis advisor, and independent research supervisor at SZABIST. He also serves as a member of two committees at SZABIST. [email protected].
-- Mr Zulfiqar Khimani graduated with a MS degree in Management Sciences from SZABIST and is presently a MS/PhD student at Oxford, UK on Scholarship.
(Concluded)
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