LAHORE:
In Pakistan, major dams were constructed to regulate and supplement the flow of water in irrigation networks to sustain the country’s agriculture sector. These dams are operated primarily according to irrigation requirements of the country, while inexpensive hydroelectricity is produced as a byproduct.
Dams are important in every country, not just to aid in the hydroelectricity and agriculture sector but also for residential use as well. Despite spending millions of rupees on development projects like metro bus and motorways, the country still lags behind in assuring the most basic human need: water. There aren’t enough dams in Pakistan; in fact, the only major dams built are Mangla and Tarbela. Since then, no focus has been given to this despite the fact that water scarcity statistics are nothing but alarming. Due to the increasing population, per capita water available is decreasing and the natural process of sedimentation is further deteriorating the situation. The Indus River System Authority has reported that the country wastes about 21 billion dollars worth of water every year just because there aren’t enough proper storage facilities.
Considering the current situation, it is recommended that Pakistan build three more dams the size of Mangla to store extra water. There should also be arrangements to store water during the monsoon season as all the extra water ends up flowing into the sea.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 12th, 2022.
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