A lot can be achieved by little changes that we often ignore.
LONDON: This is with reference to the article
“Moving forward from the flood- I” by Arif Belgaumi (October 12). Large dams are unfashionable globally, apart from countries like Brazil and China where they can finance such projects on their own. As we expect foreign financing to fund the outlay of massive dam construction, constant political noise over this issue is unlikely to bring about the financing we require. Even so, the construction of the Kalabagh Dam or the Bhasha Dam is a long term endeavour which will take over a decade to complete.
In the short-run, taking stock of how climate change will affect us, coordinating with our neighbours, immediately banning all forms of logging and taming the timber mafia while giving a second hearing to the communities that live by the banks of the Indus is urgently needed. Big projects such as mega dams make for good politics and showmanship. A lot can be achieved by little changes that we often ignore.
Syed Nadir El-Edroos
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2010.
