AJK protests against raising water level in Mangla Dam

AJK Minister for Mangla Dam Affairs Chaudhry Muhammad Yousuf here Sunday asked Wapda to desist from raising water level in the dam unless all the required arrangements for resettlement and rehabilitation of the population dwelling along the periphery of the reservoir in the district were completed.
He was addressing a press conference here Sunday. Lashing out at Wapda for constantly raising the water level since last couple of days above the existing dangerous point of 1202 feet by blatantly violating all moral and legal norms and commitments. He said that the constant increase in water level in the dam had created a great panic among over 50,000 families living along the banks of the reservoir because dam's water had started entering into their houses.
The minister said that over 50,000 families had started badly suffering as a result of, what he called, the open violation of 2003 agreement about raising of the dam reached between Wapda and the AJK government. He said that under the said agreement Wapda had agreed not to raise the water level in the dam beyond 1203 feet.
Chaudhry Yousuf pointed out that due to extremely slow-paced construction work by Wapda at the New Mirpur city and four small town projects in this district for the rehabilitation of the Mangla dam raising project affectees. He said only about 15 to 20 percent construction work at these alternative residential sites could so far be done.
And in such ugly state of affairs, immediate rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected families at the under-construction alternative residential place was not possible, he declared.
The minister pointed out that the pace of construction work in Wapda sponsored small towns for the Mangla dam affectees in Dadayal and Chakswari was equal to nothing following the lack of required arrangements by Wapda for the completion of the towns within the stipulated time frame.
The minister warned that the current alarming situation caused due to raising of water level in the reservoir above to the last dangerous point, could lead to igniting of the mass street agitation on the part of the Mangla dam affectees.
Yousuf asked Wapda to focus for removing increased apprehensions and reservations of Mangla dam affectees vis-a-vis their rehabilitation and resettlement entirely in line with every word and deed of the agreement.
The minister said that local district authorities were regularly monitoring water level in the dam to meet any untoward situation following undue raising of the dam above the dangerous level.