Kalabagh Dam Pakistan
THE KALABAGH DAM CONTROVERSY
www.metacoustics.com.au
Submitted to: Mr. Ali Shahrukh Pracha
Submitted by: Amirah Hashmi
INTRODUCTION
The Kalabagh dam controversy has been the highlight of attention since a long time now. Every now and then an issue is raised and left unsorted leaving the related provinces further confused as Pakistan’s government has not been able to decide between the two contrasting point of views since the last 27 years (1984, since its design was presented)(Iftikhar,2005) . The basic issue Kalabagh dam project is facing is the different point of views the main territories of Pakistan have. Sindh assumes that if this project is not stopped and allowed to resume the province it would be deprived of their share of water and their land would turn into a desert ultimately, flood cultivation in riverain areas would be reduced. Khyber Pakhtoon’s opposing statements were that is this dam was given a green signal as it is already known that Sindh is very prone to water logging and salinity problems high reservoir water levels could cause cultivation problems, a massive amount of people would have to be dislocated for the project etc. Punjab so far is the only province supporting the building of Kalabagh dam. According to Punjab if this project is completed it would not only benefit people by getting them rid from multiple issues but also benefit the country by reducing its dependence on foreign funds and opening a vacancy for around 30,000 people during its construction. Other advantages included fulfilling increasing demands of electricity with the number of people and providing irrigation to the river in Sindh. (Khokar, 2008) Dams hold a vital role in the running of a country, especially for an agricultural country like Pakistan. Larger dams are more beneficial from the smaller ones as they are multi-purposed. They not only provide electricity to the country but also control flooding, provide water for irrigational purposes, create job
www.metacoustics.com.au
Submitted to: Mr. Ali Shahrukh Pracha
Submitted by: Amirah Hashmi
INTRODUCTION
The Kalabagh dam controversy has been the highlight of attention since a long time now. Every now and then an issue is raised and left unsorted leaving the related provinces further confused as Pakistan’s government has not been able to decide between the two contrasting point of views since the last 27 years (1984, since its design was presented)(Iftikhar,2005) . The basic issue Kalabagh dam project is facing is the different point of views the main territories of Pakistan have. Sindh assumes that if this project is not stopped and allowed to resume the province it would be deprived of their share of water and their land would turn into a desert ultimately, flood cultivation in riverain areas would be reduced. Khyber Pakhtoon’s opposing statements were that is this dam was given a green signal as it is already known that Sindh is very prone to water logging and salinity problems high reservoir water levels could cause cultivation problems, a massive amount of people would have to be dislocated for the project etc. Punjab so far is the only province supporting the building of Kalabagh dam. According to Punjab if this project is completed it would not only benefit people by getting them rid from multiple issues but also benefit the country by reducing its dependence on foreign funds and opening a vacancy for around 30,000 people during its construction. Other advantages included fulfilling increasing demands of electricity with the number of people and providing irrigation to the river in Sindh. (Khokar, 2008) Dams hold a vital role in the running of a country, especially for an agricultural country like Pakistan. Larger dams are more beneficial from the smaller ones as they are multi-purposed. They not only provide electricity to the country but also control flooding, provide water for irrigational purposes, create job
Cited: IFTIKHAR AHMAD., Kalabagh Dam - Development or disaster? Khalid Khokar : 7 june, 2008, Benefits of Building Kalabagh Dam Amar guriro, Wonderful Indus Delta on verge of destruction, its creeks shrinking, 2011 Md Bhasha dam (http://www.diamerbhasha.com/) Aziz narejo, 2004 , Concerns over mega water projects Water scarcity and kalabagh dam, Iram Tahir , 2011