Kalabagh Dam would have capacity to store another 6MAF of flood waters, mostly from tributaries of Indus River.
LAHORE: The havoc caused by floods in south Punjab and Sindh would have been twice as much if the Mangla and Tarbela dams had not stored nearly 14 million acre feet (MAF) of the flood waters. That is one foot of water standing over 14 million acres, which is a huge amount.
The Kalabagh Dam, if built, would have the capacity to store another six MAF of flood waters, mostly from the tributaries of the Indus River. Mindless opposition to the construction of the Kalabagh Dam is costing the country very dearly in terms of lost agricultural output and power generation. The Bhasha Dam, when finally constructed, will be too little too late, and at best, will only be a replacement for the Mangla and Tarbela dams, which will have lost considerable capacity for storage and power generation by the time it is built.
Engr Khurshid Anwer
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2012.
