Building mega dams only way of survival

PPP Media Cell head
Building of mega dams should be declared as national priority because without these Pakistan would be facing not only ‘water scarcity but water starvation’ posing grave threat to the national security.
After this point has been driven home, it should be followed by the formulation of a coherent strategy spelling out road map with timeframe for the execution of the projects on pro-active basis. The opposition parties of all hues therefore should sit and huddle together to evolve a consensus that is quintessentially visionary and futuristic. The government should be welcomed being an important stakeholder as an implementing agency. Alternatively, the government should take initiative and call All Parties’ Conference (APC) for the worthwhile national cause, the pursuance of which is critical to address the plethora of challenges already staring into the eyes of Pakistanis. For, the challenge of water scarcity is bound to affect agriculture of the country that is the backbone of our economy. The backbone must be strong because about more than fifty per cent country’s population’s livelihood is dependent, directly or indirectly, on this sector. The competitiveness of Pakistan’s industrial sector also depends on agriculture because it provides raw material to a score of industries especially to the textile industry that contributes 60% of Pakistan’s foreign exchange earnings.
Regretfully, the government of the day does not seem to show the visible eagerness in building mega dams like Bhasha and Dassu dams because allocations of Rs22 billion and Rs52 billion respectively in the current financial year are peanuts when judged from the estimated cost of construction of these mega projects around $14 billion and $5 billion. Unfortunately, the project of Kala Bagh Dam has been politicised and its commencement seems unlikely due to the opposition of provinces of Sindh and KP in particular. One of the participants in a TV programme recently presented an interesting and innovative argument by asserting that Kala Bagh Dam should be completed even on the premise of giving total propriety rights on the water and electricity to be generated by the dam to the province of Sindh because ‘when Sindh will progress Pakistan will progress’. Its face value exemplifies over-simplification but it could be figured out realistically because the people of Sindh are patriotic people and the people of Punjab will not grudge the massive dividends accruing to the fellow countrymen hailing from another province of the federation. It will be deemed as the greatest gesture of Punjab that will steal the hearts of the people of Sindh as it may lead to redressing their grievances inflicted by successive dictators.
It is heartening that media and the civil society have been underscoring the importance of building mega dams because nation’s food security and prosperity largely hinge upon the completion of multipurpose dams to meet the irrigation requirements of our agriculture and of power for indigenous industry alike. Another redeeming feature will be that vast barren lands can be brought under cultivation turning deserts into green pastures. These dams can also help produce sufficient food to feed not only the 300 million estimated population of Pakistan by 2050 but can also serve as a food- basket for the Middle East and beyond. These dams will also be instrumental in providing inexpensive and clean energy to light the households right across the country. Running the wheel of the economy on an accelerated pace will enable it to face the challenges of highly competitive international market mired by cutthroat competition. The law of survival will have no negative bearings on Pakistani economy in that case rather may supplement against others because its application favours the strong and eliminate the weak.
The challenges of food security, water security and energy security are the looming dangers on the horizon of the country, posing serious threat of social and economic meltdown. The nation is already bracing the scourge of terrorism and extremism now. In the absence of not rising to the occasion the fast approaching climatic perils are likely to hit very badly. Terrorism and extremism will be defeated because the nation has decided so and the security establishment has been engaged in taking them on their turf. It has gained significant achievements against the adversaries. The nation now has to stand up and nudge the political leadership for building multi-purpose water reservoirs because the country cannot afford procrastination any longer. Pakistan is facing energy crisis of appalling proportion that is holding back our industrial agriculture growth. Agriculture sector’s huge potential needs to be fully realised that will remain a mirage without the availability of sufficient waters from the reservoirs. The country’s industry will remain in a state of limbo till the availability of inexpensive hydel energy.
The delay in building dams has been costing billions of dollars in view of the skyrocketing cost of building such mega projects. The import of furnace oil of $5 billion per annum to produce electricity at the rate Rs16 per unit has taken the toll on consumers and of industrial sector in equal measure. Our industry has not been competitive and the textile sector, the biggest foreign exchanger earner, is on frequent strikes due to the non-availability and expensive electricity at the same time. Pakistan has failed to realise the potential of European tariff facility GSP Plus + on Pakistani textiles products because the industry is not running on full capacity mainly due to energy shortage. Our exports during the last financial year declined instead as mentioned by the Finance Minister in his budget speech. The failure of country’s economy to achieve the targets in terms of GDP growth, decline in the agriculture and industrial sectors can be attributed to the acute energy shortage. Failure to deliver on energy front would be meaningless. Buliding huge dams is the only answer. They will save us from becoming another Ethiopia and also help in ensuring progress on all fronts.
It is widely believed that furnace oil powerful mafia is behind the inordinate delay to tap the water resources of the country. They are national criminals rightly described by Ex-Chairman of Wapda, respected Shamas-ul- Mulk, because the country has to import billions of dollars of fuel to run the power houses to generate expensive electricity. The same precious foreign exchange would have been used to boost the country’s economy with huge multiplying benefits to the nation if the dams are built to meet the energy needs. Fossil fuel burning adds to the pollution in the country that is already at no 3 as the likely worst hit country by the climate change. The mafia should be condemned and, if possible, their properties be confiscated. Their greed and avarice have no limit that has caused hundreds of thousands lives of children due to malnutrition, deaths of all ages in large number for want of medical treatment. Further major chunk of youth remain unemployed. If their obsession for amassing wealth, regardless of the nature of the means, had not been playing foul with the people Pakistan there could have been introduced smart energy mix with our oil and gas reserves intact. It is our misfortune that the energy reserves are now depleting and no big fish has been found by drilling companies. The dust of grave alone will stop them form their lust for wealth to face the eternal trepidation while living ‘in the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns’.
No shred of doubt, Pakistan’s stability, prosperity and development are contingent upon the building of mega dams to fulfill the objectives of the national security. Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto made the defence of the country impregnable and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto equipped the country with missile technology enabling it to hit any part of the enemy country with pinpoint precision in case of aggression. Similarly, there is dire need of the national security narrative to focus on the taking up such projects those have far reaching positive bearings to ensure economic security that is equally an important component of overall national security. The collapse of the Soviet Union reinforces the narrative of the importance of socio-economic security without which national security will remain vulnerable.
[muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com]