Malik Muhammad Aslam Awan
For agriculture water is just like blood running in veins of human body. India has constructed several
dams on river courses, which were once main source of irrigating Pakistan’s agricultural land. Indian
cunning and shrewd mind wanted to devastate Pakistan’s agriculture zones, dependent on river water
coming from within Indian soil. Ravi river course has been blocked by India government by construction
of dams on its way. Whenever there will be scarcity of water, Indian dams will store Ravi river water and
if there is abundant of water India will let the course of Ravi flow towards Pakistan to inundate Pak soil.
Seeing the foregoing perspective Pakistan is facing serious water issues. Sometime rain water is
abundant and sometime nature is not too benevolent to shower rains. In rainy seasons preservation of
water is possible through dams only. By constructing dams we can not only save water but also can save
our crops, cattle, human beings, being swept away by floods. lndus River System Authority (IRSA)
claimed that being devoid of proper water preservation system (Dams) Pakistan incur loss of about
twenty one billion dollars per annum. Due to mismanagement and failure of water preservation system
per annum 29 million acre feet water goes useless and falls into sea, while on the whole globe this ratio
in average measurement is almost 8.6 acre feet. During Senate policy forum session IRSA maintained
that to preserve water we need three more Dams equal to the magnitude of Mangla Dam. IRSA further
maintained that due to sullage issue the water preservation capacity of existing Dams is diminishing day
by day. IMF, UNDP and other forums of the world claim that water issues of Pakistan are going to be
worsened, every passing moment. If the situation still goes unattended, these forums say till 2040,
Pakistan may become the country with least water resources of the world. At present Pakistan is at 4th
number at the list of world’s most water user countries. Since long world forums are pointing out that in
coming years Pakistan may have to face aggravating water shortage but unfortunately Policy makers
never felt the graveness of the situation and failed to address the star issue of the time. Unfortunately
Pakistan is facing scarcity of Sages and intellectuals who have the capability and sincerity to realize the
seriousness of the water issue, the hub of the Pak economy -being agriculture based country, whose
70% population is mainly and directly engaged in agriculture. Every sane person may realize what would
happen if water resources fail to meet water necessities of the agriculture, shortage of edibles, wheat,
paddy and vegetables connote devastating hunger and the country a barren land. Former Chief Justice
of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar, in June 2018 under a suo motu notice ordered the construction of Diamir
Bhasha dam and established a fund account, public lavishly donated to the dam fund account. After
taking over PM Imran khan reiterated his stance to construct dams to replenish water resources for
future and chaired the water council session, convened for the purpose of solving the gravest issue of
Pakistan. After assuming power Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of Mohammand Dam, costing 2.2
billion dollars, on which work is in progress. On May 13, 2020 Diamir Bhasha contract has been executed
between Power China Company and FWO, which will cost Rs 442 billion. The project includes main Dam,
diversion system, bridge and construction of electrical house. The project is expected to produce 4500
megawatt electricity. The project is expected to cost Rs1406.5 billion and see completion in 2028. The
Dam will have the capacity to irrigate 3 million acres of Agri land. Diamir Bhasha, Mohammand
Dams may contribute a lot to Pak economy but we need a lot of Dams keeping in view our future water
requirements. Diamir Bhasha Dam has been inaugurated thrice, first in 1998 by the then PM Nawaz
Sharif, again in 2006 by General Musharaf and in 2011 by the then incumbent PM Gilani but due to
incompetence and lack of sincerity could not be realized to reality. India has started the worst kind of
water terrorism by dual policy, in rainy season unleashing the surplus water to inundate Pak territory
and in drought days restraining even a single drop of water, having sinister motives to make Pakistan,
God forbids, a barren land. To thwart Indian water terrorism and acquiesce in water management
fanged issues we cannot afford to linger on the construction of Dams for the fourth time.PM Imran Khan
might have superb vision to mitigate the intensity of water terrorism of our perennial hostile neighbor
and let our fertile land yield golden fruit, mango, paddy, wheat green grocery as well as sustain,
maintain black gold to cater to the nutrition of the healthy nation. The nation will, also, heave a sigh of
relief from sweeping, annihilating floods.
