THE World Bank president has pledged to finance a mega water storage project, “provided the government develops a political consensus”. He added: “a certain separation between development and politics was possible and one should try and keep water development separate from politics”.

The WB official clearly said that, ”Pakistan would not be able to sustain an eight per cent growth rate if the energy sector was not fixed.”

Keeping the World Bank policy in view, construction of a multipurpose dam at Katzarah on the Indus would be the first choice. It is free from politics and controversy. Moreover, it can meets full water and power needs of the country.

The site for the unique 35-maf Katzarah Dam was discovered in 1960 and the government was informed on April 10, 1962. With six times the storage capacity of Kalabagh or Basha Dam, the Katzarah can be built at nearly at the same cost. It can generate about 15,000 MW of power to fully meet the power requirements. It will save 35 maf of floodwater that goes waste to sea every year.

Katzarah can irrigate a barren area of about 10 million acres of land in the four provinces by gravity flow from Chashma barrage or from a new barrage on its downstream. I proposed an All-Pakistan Grand Canal on the right bank of Indus supported by Katzarah. and give employment to a large population.

Moreover, it will turn the three under construction flood canals namely Thal, Raine and Kachi that run only for two flood months a year into perennial canals. Katzarah would also control super floods and help prevent backwater flow and flooding in Kabul River. The 35-maf storage at Katzarah would regulate the highly erratic flow of the Indus River.

Besides, Katzarah Dam will also prevent downstream silt flow from the soil erosion in Skardu valley, when its soil is submerged by the 35-maf Katzarah reservoir. Skardu valley is the main source of silt in the Indus river flow.

Thus Katzarah would act as a watershed management project for Basha to prevent heavy silt flow. It will prolong the life spans of all the dams and their service value on the downstream by 10 times.

This means the 80 years lifespan of Basha dam would increase to 800 years provided if Basha is built after Katzarah Dam. The economic survival of Pakistan therefore lies in conserving and using its precious water resources for indefinite times by controlling silt in the Indus at Katzarah dam.

We have not developed political consensus on Kalabagh Dam for the past 30 years and have suffered on this account immensely. Even the two committees— Nisar Memon and ANG Abbasi— appointed for the purpose of getting consensus failed in achieving this purpose and could not make recommendation for a specific dam. The condition laid down by the president of the World Bank for getting consensus may further delay the construction of a storage dam as consensus on Kalabagh is impossible.

On the other hand, the four provinces had already agreed and had no objection to Katzarah Dam in all its Nisar Memon Committee meetings. Katzarah is not controversial on any count. On the contrary if Kalabagh is built, it may create political turmoil and the World Bank may withdraw its commitment.

The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has already rejected the controversial Kalabagh Dam on Oct 10, 1996 with 4:1 majority under the Irsa Act as it is not feasible, hydrologically, geologically and economically.

The Kalabagh consultant geologists in Kalabagh feasibility report volume II and XIII have pointed out that a concrete structure of more than 160 feet high cannot be built at the Kalabagh Dam site due to weak foundation. This is why four spillways are provided in Kalabagh Dam for its safety against one or two for each dam. The height of Kalabagh dam is 260 feet.

Kalabagh Dam being at the tail end of the Indus River valley draws silt from a vast catchment area of 110500 square miles with 90 maf annual flow against a small direct storage of 3.5 maf on the Indus. This will rapidly silt up.

The short-lived replacement storage at Kalabagh will never pay back its loan whereas the multipurpose Katzarah will pay back costs in one year. Katzarah has a life span of more than 1000 years due to excellent capacity inflow ratio and nominal silt flow.

Due to a wrong, restricted mid-level sluicing design, Kalabagh will not produce for about three months a year. For this reason, 2000 thermal power plant is attached to this controversial dam in support. This is something ridiculous. Its own hydropower generation capability is about 400 MW due to power gap period of more than three months and due to the lowering down of the reservoir retention level from 925 to 915.

Kalabagh will not control floods from June 1, to July 20 as it will be on run-of-river to follow the design conditions. Due to poor capacity inflow ratio, it has no capability to control floods. It will not generate power during the gap period.

Besides this, the cost of land compensation is based at the price level of 1983. Today, after 22 years the cost of land has increased by 100 times and property by 500 times in Peshawar valley. Moreover, area under submergence is considered for compensation by the project consultants where as the vast area to come under inundation and the area getting water logged due to the blockage of sub-surface flow of Peshawar valley is ignored.

Kalabagh Dam being replacement storage will not irrigate an acre of new land. It is the most misunderstood and wrongly depicted project and it needs understanding before decision is made on a mega dam. The failure and consequences of controversial Kalabagh Dam due to a wrong design seems to be a recipe for a catastrophe. Sanmenxia Dam in China has failed due to a similar design. The Chinese immediately reconstructed it with unrestricted low level sluicing design. The Kalabagh feasibility is inefficacious and out-dated.

The prime minister and the president may pay an aerial visit to Katzarah Dam, Skardu Dam, Basha Dam and Kalabagh Dam sites along with others. This is necessary to gain knowledge of the dam sites and the condition in the valley before making a decision on a dam. Kalabagh is a three dimensional problem that is political, technical and economical. It should therefore be dropped with its present wrong design dictated in the TOR to the consultants for preparing tailored feasibility.

Alternately, a high barrage at Kalabagh site or a dam on Soan River wing of Kalabagh Dam to be fed from Ghazi Barotha Barrage is suggested for investigation. This can be financed from internal resources to conciliate the politicians and fulfil their desire as they insist to build storage infrastructure for diversion of water at this specific site.

In no case, Katzarah should be postponed after Tarbela Dam as the second dam on the Indus. Katzarah is the lifeblood of the Indus basin irrigation system and is pivotal for future development. In the year 2000, China offered to build Katzarag Dam.

Mr Abbasi’s Committee like the Nisar Memon Committee due to lack of consensus made no specific recommendation for the dam for which they were appointed by the president.

The burden is now shifted to the president who himself is not an engineer. Therefore he will depend on the advice of Wapda which is the source of creating controversy. How can Wapda’s recommendation be trustworthy, technically sound and acceptable to the disputing provinces when it has deeply committed on the controversial Kalabagh?