The direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan for start of physical construction work on three important hydro projects – Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Dasu hydropower project and Sindh barrage has come as a breeze of fresh air for people of Pakistan who have been waiting anxiously for the auspicious moment for decades. The PM gave orders for the purpose during a meeting he chaired on national water security and his Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa rightly called the announcement “historic news”.
Prime Minister Imran Khan was informed on 11 May 2020 that all the preparatory work for the Diamer-Bhasha dam has completed and the project was ready for construction. In the case of Bhasha Dam alone, it will create 16,500 jobs and utilize a large quantity of cement and steel, in addition to its main purpose of water storage and producing 4,500 MW of cheap and affordable electricity. The 6.4 million acre feet (MAF) water storage capacity of the dam will reduce the current water shortage in the country. It will add 35 years to the life of Tarbela dam by reducing sedimentation. An area of 1.23 million acres of land will be brought under agricultural use due to this dam.
Rs78.5 billion will be spent on the area around the dam for its social development. The dam will also be a major source of flood mitigation and save billions in damages caused by floods each year. PM Imran also appreciated the efforts made by the water resources ministry and Wapda in pursuing the projects. He reiterated his emphasis on keeping a close eye on the quality of work and meeting timelines. The premier expressed satisfaction over the progress made so far and directed authorities concerned to begin construction work on the dam. “Ensuring water security is the government’s first priority,” he said. The prime minister directed that local materials and expertise be used during construction to provide the people with ample job opportunities.
Pakistan has suffered immensely during the last couple of decades due to water and energy shortages. This is a continuous process which must be met with new projects. Water is the lifeline for our economy but unfortunately the issue of water security did not receive the kind of priority it should have been from the successive governments in the past. Apart from the growing threat of drinking water in different parts of the country, the need to ensure uninterrupted supply of adequate water to the world’s largest contiguous irrigation network in the form of canals, distributaries and water courses should have propelled timely programs and plans for preservation and storage of water but that did not happen mainly because of political wrangling on economic issues, lack of commitment, required vision and failure to line up funding. This is evident from the fact that the then President Pervez Musharraf announced a water vision in 2002 envisaging construction of five mega hydropower projects including Diamer-Bhasha, Kalabagh and Dasu by 2016 and also performed ground-breaking of Diamer-Bhasha in 2006 but the project did not move at the desired pace despite the fact that unlike Kalabagh it was non-controversial plan. It is cumulative effect of criminal negligence that today Pakistan is a water scarce country and if the situation continues, i.e., population keeps on increasing at the same rate and the water resources remain constant, it will be touching the absolute water scarcity line by 2025, which is not far away from now.
The dam is also strategically important because of India’s unwarranted belligerence under the Hindu-supremacist Modi government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement saying that “blood and water cannot flow together” leaves no doubt about his government’s nefarious designs. In such a scenario, it is all the more critical for Pakistan to increase its water capacity, meet energy demands and create economic momentum to keep the country ready and strong to fight any challenge thrown its way. The announcement of construction of actual work on Diamer-Bhasha and Dasu is the most opportune time when the country is hit hard by Covid-19 and major initiatives are needed to boost economic activity and provide employment opportunities to the people. It is appreciable that two major hurdles of land acquisition and roadmap for mobilization of financial resources have been addressed in respect of Diamer and the project is ready for initiation of physical construction work. The direction of the Prime Minister for maximum utilization of local material would also be instrumental in supporting the domestic industries, especially cement, steel and stone crushing. This is a wonderful development and the federal government ought to be congratulated for it. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s directions on starting other large-scale projects should also be followed. This will serve to stimulate the economy and help the crises created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
