LAHORE, Sept 29: President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have been urged to announce the construction of Kalabagh dam to save the country from the impending food and water crisis.

This was stressed by Pakistan Industrial and Traders Association Alliance Vice-Chairman Mian Abu Zar Shah in a statement here on Wednesday.

He said the construction of the dam was the need of the hour because only 30 million acre cultivable land out of 75.86 million acres was being utilized while 47 million acre feet of 104 MAF available river water was going to the sea unutilized.

He said the Kalabagh dam was necessary not only because the country had been forced to import wheat but also because the industry was no longer able to produce goods for marketing at competitive prices by purchasing the world's costliest thermal power being generated in the country.

Mr Shah said the government had spent over Rs1.25 billion on the feasibility of the Kalabagh dam and was in a position to start work on it immediately.