Omar1984
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Time to build Kalabagh Dam
India has quickened the construction work on three major dams on River Indus including Nimo Bazgo as part and parcel of its plan of turning Pakistan into an agricultural wasteland. Already the controversial Baglihar Dam is in its completion process and with it India will be able to divert water allotted to us by the Indus Waters Treaty.
Apart from these dams, there are over 60 others. Even small canals and tributaries flowing into Pakistan are being diverted to India. With Baglihar Dam, India will be able to block Pakistan’s water supply for 25 days, a period that is long enough to play havoc with our agriculture during one of the main crop seasons. With Kishanganga Dam on River Neelum, the entire Neelum Valley and the areas downstream that depend on this river for survival will become water starved. Experts have warned that since the area under cultivation all across the country will reduce dramatically in the days ahead owing to Indian dams, our agriculture would suffer catastrophically and a debilitating food crisis will usher in. This is no exaggeration because already a number of tributaries and rivers that were once flowing with water are now paved with sand and grass. What is the government doing? Absolutely nothing! It only messed up our case recently during proceedings in the International Court of Justice. On the other hand given the fact that oil prices keep on increasing in the international market we need to switch from thermal based energy to hydel if we are to save the economy. There is a danger that the oil prices might shoot up to $ 250 dollars if sanctions are placed on Iran by the US and EU. These fluctuations only prove the point that it is inadvisable to rely on oil to run power plants in the long term.
It is high time the leadership built consensus on Kalabagh Dam to proceed with its timely construction. In the years ahead Tarbela as well as Mangla dam’s storage capacity will become virtually nil because of sedimentation. It is only Kalabagh Dam that can produce cheap electricity, will have a life of several centuries given its unique location, and most importantly it will play a major role in controlling floods. It is also the best way to prepare for water shortage arising out of India’s construction of 60 dams on Indus. With the benefits it has to offer is it not a betrayal to the nation to ignore such a vital project?
Time to build Kalabagh Dam | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
India has quickened the construction work on three major dams on River Indus including Nimo Bazgo as part and parcel of its plan of turning Pakistan into an agricultural wasteland. Already the controversial Baglihar Dam is in its completion process and with it India will be able to divert water allotted to us by the Indus Waters Treaty.
Apart from these dams, there are over 60 others. Even small canals and tributaries flowing into Pakistan are being diverted to India. With Baglihar Dam, India will be able to block Pakistan’s water supply for 25 days, a period that is long enough to play havoc with our agriculture during one of the main crop seasons. With Kishanganga Dam on River Neelum, the entire Neelum Valley and the areas downstream that depend on this river for survival will become water starved. Experts have warned that since the area under cultivation all across the country will reduce dramatically in the days ahead owing to Indian dams, our agriculture would suffer catastrophically and a debilitating food crisis will usher in. This is no exaggeration because already a number of tributaries and rivers that were once flowing with water are now paved with sand and grass. What is the government doing? Absolutely nothing! It only messed up our case recently during proceedings in the International Court of Justice. On the other hand given the fact that oil prices keep on increasing in the international market we need to switch from thermal based energy to hydel if we are to save the economy. There is a danger that the oil prices might shoot up to $ 250 dollars if sanctions are placed on Iran by the US and EU. These fluctuations only prove the point that it is inadvisable to rely on oil to run power plants in the long term.
It is high time the leadership built consensus on Kalabagh Dam to proceed with its timely construction. In the years ahead Tarbela as well as Mangla dam’s storage capacity will become virtually nil because of sedimentation. It is only Kalabagh Dam that can produce cheap electricity, will have a life of several centuries given its unique location, and most importantly it will play a major role in controlling floods. It is also the best way to prepare for water shortage arising out of India’s construction of 60 dams on Indus. With the benefits it has to offer is it not a betrayal to the nation to ignore such a vital project?
Time to build Kalabagh Dam | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online