LAHORE - Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday welcomed the action taken by the Supreme Court (SC) on water issues including Kalabagh Dam (KBD) and termed it a ray of hope for Pakistani nation.
LCCI President Malik Tahir Javaid said that the apex court had translated the wishes of over 200 million people and agriculture sector of Pakistan into reality. In this regard, a campaign had been launched by the LCCI as well.
He said that perhaps Pakistan was the only country in the world where important water and power projects were being opposed, which was unfortunate. Indian water aggression and our inability to build new water reservoirs had pushed Pakistan into the list of water-starved countries.
He said that those were enemies of the nation who were opposing Kalabagh Dam, as research reports have warned that Pakistan would reach absolute water scarcity by the year 2025 if water reservoirs were not built.
LCCI President said that perceptions against Kalabagh Dam were totally wrong and a move to safeguard the interests of the enemies of Pakistan. He said that Kalabagh would be equally beneficial for all provinces.
Actually delay in construction of Kalabagh Dam was the one and only reason of water shortage in Sindh and other parts of the country.
He said that water supply to Sindh was averaged 36.6 million acre feet annually before construction of Mangla and Terbala Dams. This supply was enhanced to 40.30 million acre feet after building of these dams. He said that Kalabagh dam would also supply over 4 million acre feet additional water to Sindh.
He said that Kalabagh Dam was inevitable for the progress and prosperity of the country as it would produce power at an average cost of Rs 2/kwh. This cheap power will annually displace costly power worth approximately Rs300 billion with consequential savings of costly oil imports.
He said, there was no threat to Nowshehra city as it was 150 feet above the water level, he said and added that Kalabagh Dam, was not only beneficial to Punjab alone but it would be more helpful in erasing poverty from Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.
The dam would irrigate 800,000 acres of land that is located 100-150 feet above the Indus river level in the province. He said this land could only be brought under cultivation if the river level is raised that is only possible if Kalabagh Dam is built. He said the other alternative is to pump the water which is very costly.
Senior Vice President Khawaja Khawar Rashid and Vice President Zeshan Khalil said that creditable studies had indicated that pumping water for potential cultivable land would cost farmers Rs 5000 per acre per year, while canal water after construction of Kalabagh Dam would cost only Rs 400 per acre per year.
They said that additional water would also be available for Sindh in all seasons. They said that all the stakeholders should show some greater maturity on the issue of Kalabagh. It is the high time that all undue stands should be brushed aside to save the country from that era of darkness.
He said that unlike Pakistan, India is constructing dams at every possible site. It has left us decades behind and coming time does not promise any good thing either.