Shamsul Mulk, former CM Frontier and Chairman, WAPDA has lamented on a private T.V. channel that NWFP, whose total irrigated area comprises only five percent of Pakistan, cannot get its share of irrigation water from any other dam except Kalabagh. Only a right bank canal from Kalabagh dam can supply the water needed to irrigate plains area of NWFP. Basha dam and Tarbela dam cannot furnish water to NWFP. While NWFP has a share of 14 percent in any new storage as per Water Accord of 1991, it is preposterous that even with an estimated population of 22 million, i.e., 14 percent of Pakistan, it has only 5 percent irrigated area. Even Balochistan, with a current population of 8 million i.e., 5 percent of Pakistan, has 7 percent of the irrigated area. So NWFP will be the worst sufferer in the event of Kalabagh dam not getting constructed. The cost of lift-irrigation of water from Chashma reservoir is stated to be Rs 15,000 per acre, which is absolutely prohibitive. Would ANP stalwarts who oppose Kalabagh dam consider the loss of share of 14 percent of irrigation water from a new storage while NWFP gets only 5 percent of current water supplies? It only requires a primary class student to see the difference. -DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI, Lahore, via e-mail, August 28.