Sindh will oppose clearance for dams: CDWP meetings
By Khaleeq Kiani
ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: The Sindh government has decided to oppose the concept clearance of Kalabagh dam and Akhori dam until a consensus is reached among the provinces over their construction, sources told Dawn from Karachi on telephone.
The provincial government thinks that if it agrees to concept clearance of the two projects, and the federal government starts seeking foreign loan for them, it would be interpreted as a consensus.
The sources said the provincial government had finalised its strategy and would take a principled stand at the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting on Monday.
They said that Sindh and the NWFP were opposed to construction of any reservoir downstream Kotri on grounds that it could deprive the inhabitants lower down, of their water share.
"The concept clearance of the two projects should be delayed till consensus," said an official in the provincial government.
Led by Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Dr Akram Sheikh, the CDWP will take up, for concept clearance, three mega dams including Kalabagh, Akhori and Diamer-Bhasha.
The CDWP is to seek concept clearance of Kalabagh dam, besides permission to work on preparation of tender documents and detailed engineering design of Akhori dam.
The CDWP had put on hold the approval of Rs150 billion land acquisition programmes for the three projects in its last meeting in October when similar objections were raised by smaller provinces. Instead, the CDWP had constituted a committee to thrash out differences over the implementation strategy by November 30. The committee, led by secretary water and power, is yet to hold a meeting.
According to sources, the government wanted to have concept clearance of the three projects so that the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) could start formal discussions with lenders to seek foreign exchange component of the three projects that together come to more than $7 billion.
The three dam projects are among those five which, according to President General Pervez Musharraf’s speech of January 17, 2006, would be constructed before 2016.
