Kalabagh Dam : It is not simply a dam

Daily Times

A thorny issue such as Kalabagh Dam (KBD) cannot possibly be made on the stroke of a court’s order. A legal rationale is not that simple to follow in the case of this particular problem that has transcended the economic and technical realm to become a topic of political contention. As some political parties have rightly said, unless there is a consensus on building this dam among the three dissenting provinces, barring Punjab, not a single brick can be laid. Notwithstanding the fact that huge financial resources have been wasted in the feasibility reports of KBD and a similar amount of political energy has been wasted on the discourse towards this end, unless there is unanimity, these resources matter little in the long run when weighed against the ruction the Lahore High Court’s (LHC’s) decision has sparked off once again. The order of the LHC binding the Council of Common Interests to implement its 1991 and 1998 decisions about the construction of KBD in the interests of the people of Pakistan who are facing a severe energy crises owing to unavailability and insufficient use of natural resources, in this case water, that could be used in the production of electricity is thoroughly rejected by nearly everyone in the country. There has been a strike in Sindh and a renewed discussion of Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa versus Punjab has erupted. The long held belief of Sindh regarding the degradation of its deltaic region, the desertification of Sindh in case the water of its canals is withdrawn, and the effects on the Mangrove forests had not been amply addressed and there is no way that Sindh, which is already feeling deprived of its share of water from the Indus, would agree to the building of KBD. The apprehensions of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa revolve around persuasive arguments of shortages and water logging respectively, which again have not been addressed to their satisfaction, as simplistically thought by the CCI or now the LHC. The issue has a political dimension and has the potential of damaging the sprit and solidarity of the federation that requires harmony amongst the provinces. There is no doubt that Pakistan is facing some crucial issues as far as energy is concerned. And we are in dire need of solutions to this crisis because our economy is entirely dependent on how quickly, efficiently and effectively we deal with this persistent problem. It is in this regard that the court has invoked Articles 9 and 25 of the constitution that enjoins the federation to make life easier for its people hence the order to construct KBD. Still the truth is that the remedy for the electricity crisis does not only lie with the building of KBD. The other part of the truth is that the country’s agricultural economy and its ecosystem are under strain because of water shortages being inequitably shared amongst the provinces. This lies at the heart of the resistance to KBD. Without addressing this issue, KBD will remain a pipedream, the LHC and CCI’s wisdom notwithstanding. With three provincial Assemblies unanimously having rejected KBD repeatedly, it would be the height of recklessness and folly to proceed and thereby invite a veritable storm the country cannot afford.