PESHAWAR, Dec 4: Issues relating to large dams like their negative impact on environment, biodiversity, displaced people and flood management practices came under discussion at a workshop on Wednesday.

Titled “integrated flood management options to reduce vulnerability of communities”, the workshop regretted that the grievances of a large number of people displaced due to the Tarbela Dam were lying unresolved even today, 28 years after the project was completed.

The discussion was part of a series of six workshops planned for as many places in the country under the consultative process of the World Commission on Dams.

Dr Asif Ali Zaidi, the head of the IUCN Islamabad, and Sardar Tariq of the Pakistan Water Partnership explained the purpose of the workshop, introduction of the World Commission on Dam and its ongoing consultative process in the country.

In reply to a question by Balochistan’s member of the Indus River System Authority, Sardar Tariq conceded that irrigation infrastructures needed to be improved in Balochistan and the NWFP. He called for an increase in their annual shares from the water reservoirs. He expressed the confidence that the barren land — 22 million acres in Balochistan and 1 million in NWFP’s southern districts — could be brought under irrigation if the proposed measures were taken.

The Irsa member said that while annual shares of Punjab and Sindh were increased considerably under the 1991 Water Accord, Balochistan and the NWFP were given only marginal increases.

The workshop was jointly organized by the IUCN-the World Conservation Union and the Pakistan Water Partnership, and the country chapter of the Global Water Partnership.

Raja Aamir Zaman, the district Nazim of Haripur, said that Tarbela Dam affectees were still waiting to get their grievances redressed.

He pointed out that after making one-time investment in the Khalabat Township — set up to accommodate the Tarbela affectees — successive governments did not pay heed to improve their living standard.

“It was only recently that around Rs226 million was distributed among the remaining displaced families who were not provided compensation land in Sindh and Punjab despite promises by the then government,” said the Nazim.

Besides, he pointed out, the people of Khanpur in Haripur were being denied their due share of water from Khanpur Dam’s reservoir.

Unless issues relating to the existing dams were resolved, he suggested, the country should not go for building big dams.