Minister terms Kalabagh Dam Pakistan’s lifeline

LAHORE : Punjab Minister for Irrigation Kazim Pirzada has termed Kalabagh Dam the 'lifeline' of Pakistan and called for evolving a consensus over this project.

Speaking in Punjab Assembly on Friday, Kazim Pirzada, the Minister for Irrigation who hails from Bahawalpur, stated even if Punjab doesn't benefit from this project, consensus should be evolved over Kalabagh Dam. He stated already it had been very late and the country was divided over this issue but its stability and economy were also important. He said out of total 57 dams in Pakistan, some were not performing as per expectations and a few more were being constructed. However, he said all the political parties, stakeholders in parliament should devise a joint strategy to construct KB Dam and this should start immediately. Kazim Pirzada stated the more water we provide to the farmers, more secure would become the underground water.

The minister further stated that the Punjab government had provided water to 1,522 canals and de-silting of canals was done upto 14657 km. Regarding the flood safety measures, he lauded the chief minister and told the House that she had ensured that floods do not cause destruction to the people and this year, the flood water was diverted to Aasi Lake. A state of the barrage had been set up at Khanki, said Kazim Pirzada, whose uncle Riaz Hussein Pirzada is also a Federal Minister. Chairman panel Sami Ullah, who was chairing the session in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, remarked that in Parliament, a joint resolution should be moved by the parties with majority in federating units in support of Kalabagh Dam. Earlier, the Punjab Assembly members participated in the debate related to smog and came up with their suggestions. The MPAs who took part in the discussion included Amjad Ali Javaid, Zakia Shah Nawaz, Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan and others.