Provinces asked to develop consensus on KBD

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has once again asked the provinces to develop consensus on the building of decades-old controversial Kalabagh Dam (KBD), as building water reservoirs is necessary for the country’s water, food and energy security as well as boosting economic and social development.
“Kalabagh issue has been politicised and all the provinces should resolve this issue with mutual consensus”, Minister for Water Resources Syed Javed Ali Shah said this while talking to media after attending launch of visual guide based on Fourth National Flood Protection Plan. The forum was organised by LEAD Pakistan in collaboration with National Flood Commission and the Asia Foundation.
“Those who are opposing its [Kalabagh Dam] construction should satisfy us, or let our experts satisfy them through facts.” He further said that by constructing Kalabagh Dam, around 80 percent of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces (which are opposing it) will benefit, as instead of wasting water, we should utilize it, he added.
It is pertinent to mention that last month the Sindh Assembly has once again passed a resolution against the controversial Kalabagh Dam and termed the project a ‘dead horse’. The move came after the Federal Minister for Water Resources Javed Shah’s remarks in Parliament in favour of constructing the dam.