Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda on Monday said the government is looking into the Indus Waters Treaty as Pakistan has severe problems with India on water issues. Addressing at a press conference here, Vawda stated that former government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz told lie regarding the Dasu Dam project, adding the country is facing financial damages of Rs 300 million on a daily basis due to it. He added that the PTI-led federal government will make utmost efforts to complete Dasu Dam by 2022, he added.
He vowed to take strict action against the people involved in water theft, saying Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is committed to address water-related issues.
He stated the World Bank has expressed reservations on the Dasu Dam project. "The World Bank has categorically stated that this project couldn't be completed, however we would try our best to complete Dasu Hydroelectric Dam project by 2022 which has the capacity to generate electricity of 4300 megawatts," he added.
Further criticising the former PML-N government, he said that former government didn't purchase all of the land around Mirani Dam and now whenever the adjacent dam area was flooded with water, it had to give compensation of billions of rupees to the affected people.
He said the completion of the Dasu project would increase electricity generation by 10 percent. However, the electricity, which could have been generated at Rs 5 per unit, would now be generated at Rs 12 per unit due to the delay. Loss of Rs 300 million was being incurred per day or Rs 112 billion every year because of the delay, he added.
Responding to a question, he stated that only 7 percent of land had been purchased for this dam so far and the seven-year delay of this project caused the nation to suffer huge losses.
Answering another question, the minister stated that the PTI government would try its best to complete this project till 2022. "If this project is completed on time, we will get electricity at Rs 5 per unit," he reiterated.
The minister said he had directed the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to take steps on war footing to address water-related issues and PTI government is committed to addressing the water woes of Sindh and Karachi. "Constitutional amendments won't stop me from apprehending water thieves," he said.
He said the previous government did not focus on the water projects, causing losses of billions of rupees to the national exchequer. He said some 10,000 acres of land are required for the Dasu Dam, while the last government only secured seven percent or 740 acres.
The minister said the meeting with the World Bank about the project has been pending for months. The previous government was responsible for the losses accrued due to delay in the hydro projects. A delay of two years had occurred in the Dasu Dam project but now the decisions would be taken on a fast track basis and a one window operation would be set up, he added.
Vawda said his ministry is taking all steps to reduce the losses. He said he has empowered the officials of his ministry and WAPDA and asked them to work with speed for the completion of hydropower projects.
Vawda said the country is facing water crisis and the federal government would facilitate the provincial governments in meeting their shortages. Nobody knows how much water is taken by the provinces as the telemetry system has been closed in the country.
He said most of the taxes are collected from Karachi but it is deprived of its water. He assured that water resources would be improved in the Sindh and Balochistan.
The federal government wants to give relief in supply of water to Sindh. However, some feudal lords are only taking care of their own water needs, ignoring others, he added.
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