‘Pakistan cannot afford delay in dams construction’

SIALKOT: Federal Secretary of Water Resources Shumail Ahmed Khawaja has said that the entire nation is taking part in the dam fundraising campaign.

Addressing the members of the District Bar Association (DBA) Sialkot on Tuesday, he said that the issue of water had become critical for Pakistan. He said that due to our (Pakistanis) collective and individual slackness, the issue of water had grown serious.

He opined that a new dam was the guarantee of security and survival of the country and Pakistan could not afford any more delay in this connection. He said that all the institutions and stakeholders would be motivated to achieve the target of constructing a new dam.

“Since the inception of the country, no solid and reliable policy has been chalked out to save the precious water. By formulating the new policy as the 'water charter', Pakistan has given a positive message to the world.”

The secretary said that a new dam would not only help improve the water storage capacity but it would also help greatly in producing loads of cheap hydro-power. Khawaja later donated Rs200,000 for the Lawyers Welfare Fund (LWF) whereas Ch Salim Baryar donated Rs550,000, DC Dr Syed Bilal Haider Rs100,000, Haji M Rasheed Rs100,000 and others also donated.