Dam choice

With the Hub Dam going dry, the water crisis in Karachi has the potential of paralysing the whole city. The other source of water for Karachi is Keenjhar Lake, but the canal from Kotri Barrage to the lake supplies only a limited amount of water to the lake because it is primarily meant for irrigating land in the Thatta district.

What is required in the long run is the construction of another canal from Kotri Barrage to the lake to take care of Karachi’s future water needs, but that will require another dam on the Indus River because the present dam capacity is fully committed to meet the irrigation needs of provinces. The choice is between the Bhasha Dam that is to be constructed in 15 years or the Kalabagh Dam with a completion time period of five years. By opposing the Kalabagh Dam on flimsy grounds, Sindh is hurting itself. Is it not a tragedy that the dam is being opposed on the basis that it would reduce water supply to Sindh, when in fact two dams – Tarbela and Mangla – have increased water supply to the province? Moreover, it is in fact Irsa, and not Punjab, that will regulate water supply.

Engr Khurshid Anwer

Lahore