Since 1947, Pakistan has witnessed myopic leaders who have left the country in tatters through their negligence, corrupt practices and misgovernance. One cannot deny the fact that none of these leaders have looked beyond their own self-interest and have solely tried to work on building their own power dynamics and wealth by exploiting citizens. The illusion of a path towards sustainable development and a strong economy is fed to the people in order to pacify their frustrations.
Even a layman is aware that, being an agrarian country with a massive population, one of the foremost needs of the country is water which authorities struggle to preserve due to the prevalence of mafias who control the supply. However, no ruler has truly worked on a long-term policy to save the country from an imminent water crisis. The two dams that we do have are losing capacity fast due to siltation. Even the barrages, especially the Guddu and Sukkur barrage, are now old, dilapidated and in dire need of repair.
Currently, the situation is such that we suffer from droughts half of the year and are devastated by floods the other half. While on the other hand, India continues to build dams on our rivers under the pretext that we let the water go to waste in the sea – an argument which seems to be working in the international court. Even though the current government is paying some attention to the issue, it is not something that the government can do alone. All parties must come together and work to build sustainable dams in the country for our survival. The sooner we realise the gravity of the situation, the better.
Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad
