Opposition to construction of Kalabagh Dam mainly comes from Sindh despite the fact that it suffers most from drought
LAHORE: There are several villages in Sindh, which have been hit by drought/famine in recent times. This state of affairs has become chronic and has hurt the entire province badly. I would like to point out that the drought and the consequent migration of shepherds is because of a shortage of water. This situation will keep getting worse as long as we stay in a state of denial. We are not prepared to admit that we need a mega dam at the earliest and cannot afford to wait 12 years for the completion of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam. Small dams cannot bridge the gap between supply and demand for water in the region.
We are not prepared to admit that the 104 million acre feet of water, which the Mangla and Tarbela dams provided to us about 38 years ago, when the population was 80 million, is not at all sufficient today, now that the population has increased to 190 million. Opposition to the construction of Kalabagh Dam mainly comes from Sindh despite the fact that it suffers the most from drought/famine. Enlightened people should start speaking up for Kalabagh Dam.
Khurshid Anwer
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2014.
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