Pakistan may lose 13% of water to Neelum Jhelum River as India tries to control water flow with the construction of Kishanganga Dam on the river, says Managing Director of Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Company Lieutenant General (retd) Muhammad Zubair.
Giving a briefing to the National Assembly Committee on Economic Affairs here on Friday, he estimated that the financial impact of 13% water loss would be $141 million per annum.
India is building 14 dams, which will negatively impact Pakistan and enable Delhi to control water flow from Mangla Dam as well.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Zubair pointed out that the loss figures were quoted by the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) in a study.
He said the government had completed 40% work on the Neelum Jhelum hydropower project and asked the committee to intervene to get dues of Rs83 billion released. Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) has to pay this amount for power purchase.
“If Rs2 billion is released every month, then the Neelum Jhelum project can be completed successfully without any delay,” he said.
The committee asked the Ministry of Finance to release Rs2 billion a month in order to help complete the project on time.
Zubair said in order to accelerate work tunnel boring machines had been deployed on the project site and work would start from October 16.
He told the panel that the deficit of Rs90 billion in the project would be met through 50% financing by the government and the remaining 50% through foreign loans.
According to Zubair, the feasibility and detailed engineering design of the project was completed in 1997 as per seismic parameters established before the earthquake of 2005. After that, a revised PC-1 was prepared, which increased the project cost to Rs274.88 billion compared to the original PC-1, which was approved in 2002 with cost estimated at Rs84.502 billion.
The project was sent by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) for approval of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on June 18.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2012.
COMMENTS (14)
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The Lt. General's assertion is mischievous. India as the upper riparian has certain rights under the IWT. If it now seeks to assert those rights the reduction in flow cannot be termed a "loss". Pakistan should concentrate on conservation and efficient utilisation of its water resources rather than trying to find a scapegoat.
@sid Taji:
"So India may inadvertently force the entire region to commit suicide."
India is not afraid of such blatant blackmailing.
Pakistani is the only country which resorts to talks with gun pointed at its own head!
"Resolve Kashmir because we can't help if Terrorists attack India", and now Pakistan. Now, you say give us water we do not deserve under an agreement because we will attack you.
You really think India will actually do what you ask?
Regarding UN Resolutions, it says Pakistan should withdraw first from Kashmir. Will it do that?
@Guarav What about illegal occupation of Kashmir and not agreeing to the outstanding resolutions on Kashmir. Like it or not, one day Kashmir will be out of the clutches of your illegal occupation. If you are peaceful, then show it by letting Kashmiris decide what they want. And what are you doing reading Pak papers any way dude. I thought you have lot of your own newspapers to read. I can don't go on your newspapers and start war of words. Get a life.
Wonder how this news piece got past the ET ed.................
@faraz What about Kargil intrusion , Kashmir 1948 , 171 and 1965 ?
Stopping 13% water will further increase poverty in Pakistan. India should ask itself, how is that going to help alleviate poverty in South Asia? I think it's a very dangerous path to blackmailing an entire nation by cutting off its water share. One thing can lead another, and soon rhetoric may turn into a conflict, and this time in a conflict a weaker nation i.e. Pakistan, may resort to using a nuclear weapon. So India may inadvertently force the entire region to commit suicide.
@faraz:
Take it to the IWT Commissioner from WB. Oh wait, you did and nothing came out of it.
Dude, Hindus are the most peaceful of the lot. Just look at the trajectories of India and Pakistan.
India's tourism is in a boom, people are so scared to venture into Pakistan that even International teams don't like to visit it. Again here you claim BCCI is at fault. Stop blaming us for every little problem and admit to your wrongs.
We need to learn from a lot from Israel who don't tolerate any anti Israel activity in his region and always give a swift response to all offenders, same we should do here in south Asia and we should also have developed good relationship with Israel.
@Bilal: @Sajid Iqbal: @faraz: "Stop this madness or prepare for consequences." Consequences? As BruteForce has pointed out, your "rights" under IWT were arbitrated and denied. Your other recourses are: renegotiate IWT, opt out of it or launch a war? Your choice. Bring it on!
Can't we simply destroy these dams as these being built on disputed land.
13 % is not an auspicious number. We will stop 14%.
@BruteForce: As per Indus water treaty, Pakistan has full rights over three rivers. Stop this madness or prepare for consequences. On one end, you want trade with Pakistan, on the other hand you are stabbing in the back. The saying "Baghal men churi mun mein raam raam" holds true every time for Hindus!
Too bad its as per Indus Water Treaty. Pakistan tried to stop it by going to World Bank arbiters. But, they deemed that this was well within the treaty.
Hope nobody is going to blame India blindly..