Kalabagh dam to benefit Sindh, says Imran

PM says under-construction dams will double water storage capacity

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday there were problems between the provinces because of the water issues but stressed that the people of Sindh would have to be convinced about the usefulness of the Kalabagh dam project, otherwise, anti-Pakistan forces would play up the water issue.

Speaking at a seminar on the hydropower development, the prime minister emphasised that the under-construction mega dams would double the water storage capacity of the country on their completion and help address the issues related to climate change.

In his speech, according to a Radio Pakistan report, Imran acknowledged that Pakistan needed more water storage capacity and the very site of Kalabagh was very appropriate for the dam but added that the people in Sindh had reservations on the project.

Without convincing Sindh, the prime minister said, work on the project could not be started. He stressed that being a federation, we would have to take along all the provinces. “We are a federation and we should try to take provinces with us,” he said.

“We have to scientifically explain to the people of Sindh that the Kalabagh dam will be beneficial for them. If there is no storage then how could the land be cultivated,” he said and added that there was a lot of land available and only water was needed to utilise it for cultivation.

The prime minister said that China had constructed 5,000 dams so far, but Pakistan only had two dams which were built in the 1960s. Pakistan, he added, faced the problems because of the lack of long-term planning.

“Due to this negligence, Pakistan suffered losses,” Imran said. “Pakistan is using imported fuel for electricity generation and that is why electricity prices go up whenever petrol prices go up in the international market; burdening the public,” he added.

“Pakistan has great potential for hydroelectricity but it is generating half of its electricity from oil.

Read: Construction of 10 dams will ensure food security in country: PM

Unfortunately, due to lack of long-term planning, Pakistan is facing the current problems,” he said, lamenting that the ruling parties in the past did not thought beyond their five-year terms.

“I am proud that our government is making long-term planning rather than thinking about elections,” he continued. The country was celebrating “the decade of dams” under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tenure, he added.

Apex Committee on Afghanistan

Separately, chairing the fourth meeting of the Apex Committee on Afghanistan, the prime minister directed that scholarships for the Afghan students studying in the Pakistani universities should continue and all necessary resources be made available for them.

While discussing the potential of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the prime minister said that Pakistan accords top priority to business-to-business relationships and communication projects and would provide full facilitation.

Earlier, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf provided a detailed briefing to the committee regarding Afghanistan. Imran directed the relevant ministries to fast-track the development projects and commitments announced for the Afghan people.