Former Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Engr. Shamsul Mulk has said the country is suffering a loss of Rs 132 billion annually and this amount can be saved by initiating construction of Kalabagh Dam while there is no threat to Nowshera city which is 150 feet above the water level. He was speaking at a grand debate on Kalabagh Dam, organised by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) here on Monday.
He said that Kalabagh Dam, is not only beneficial to Punjab alone but it would be more helpful in erasing poverty from KP as it would irrigate 800,000 acres of cultivable land that is located 100-150 feet above the Indus River level in the province.
He said this land could only be brought under cultivation if the river level is raised that is only possible after Kalabagh Dam construction. He said the other alternative is to pump the water which is very costly. He said that studies have indicated that pumping water for potential cultivable land would cost farmers Rs 5000 per acre per year while canal water after construction of Kalabagh Dam would cost only Rs 400 per acre per year.
The former KP CM said that the politicians opposing the construction of the dam are in fact enemies of the people of province. He said historical data indicates that during past 75 years average 146 million acres of water is available per year in River Indus. He said the Kalabagh Dam issue has been so much politicised that a consensus would not be possible. The political leadership he added is manipulating the issue for their advantage.
He said civil society would have to play a crucial role in creating a larger consensus as new large water reservoirs would benefit every Pakistani. LCCI President, Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that a further delay in gathering a consensus from all stakeholders on the construction of Kalabagh Dam will cost this country.
He said that all the stakeholders should show some greater maturity on the issue of Kalabagh Dam. It is the high time that all undue stands should be brushed aside to save the country from that era of darkness. He said that unlike Pakistan, India is constructing more dams day by day. It has left us decades behind and coming time does not promise any good thing either.
He said that everyone knows that the existing dams are constantly silting up leaving ever decreasing capacity to store water. The construction of Kalabagh Dam along with other new dams is desperately needed to store adequate water. According to a conservative estimate about 30 million acre feet of water is being wasted into the sea because the country has no big water reservoirs to store it.
He said that another significant aspect connected with the construction of Kalabagh Dam is the surety of sufficient amount of electricity at comparatively much cheaper price. Construction of Kalabagh Dam can provide sufficient amount of greener and cheaper electricity. Electricity generation through thermal sources is estimated to cost almost Rs 16 per unit whereas the same can be produced at Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 through hydel.
So far Punjab Assembly has neither passed any resolution in favour of Kalabagh Dam nor against it whereas other three provincial assemblies have opposed the construction of Kalabagh Dam. Since, Punjab is facing the real brunt of energy shortage, therefore, we strongly urge that Punjab Assembly must pass a resolution for immediately building all the feasible dams including Kalabagh Dam.
Those who also spoke on the occasion, include Vice Chairman Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT), Dr Miftah Ismail, former LCCI President, Tariq Hameed, Mian Anjum Nisar, Pakistan Engineers Forum's Ghalib Atta, former Provincial Minister, Mumtaz Khan Manais and PBIT Vice Chairman, Miftah. They were of the view that all those who were opposing the Kalabagh Dam were enemies of this country as they were playing with the country's future. Meanwhile, the House passed a joint resolution unanimously that was presented by Engr. Sohail Lashari. The resolution called for early construction of Kalabagh Dam in the larger interest of the country.