Pakistan’s water needs

E-Paper | March 02, 2026

THIS is apropos a report in a section of the press about the legal case for dams (Jan 13). Our energy and water problems cannot be resolved through half measures. Whereas there are many options for power generation, it is only dams that can help us overcome the water shortage.

There are only a few sites available for medium dams. No number of small dams can cope with the ever-increasing shortage of water for irrigation, or cater to the 30 million acres of cultivable land lying barren in Pakistan, 80 per cent of it in Sindh, neither can small dams make even a small dent in the annual floods.

Of the mega dams, Dasu and Bunji dams will give us power but no water. The Bhasha dam will take 10 to 12 years to complete and by which time the water crisis will have already been upon us. The Bhasha dam is only half the dam that the Kalabagh dam will be. It will be dependent on snow melt from the glaciers which have a projected life of 30 years. The Siachin glacier is already turning into a lake because of the military presence there.

The Bhasha dam will not utilise the copious flows of Kabul, Chitral, Swat, Kuram, Siren, Haro and Soan rivers, nor will it trap their floodwaters. Being outside the monsoon range, it will not utilise any of the 30 maf of monsoon flows, nor stop the monsoon floods which will keep devastating south Punjab and Sindh every year.

Water from the Bhasha dam or from any other dam on the Indus will not reach north Punjab without the left bank canal at the Kalabagh dam. What will be the future of agriculture in Pakistan if the largest tract of cropland in the country is deprived of water from the Indus?

The tragedy is that the Kalabagh dam is being rejected for the imaginary fear that it will deprive Sindh of water. If the Tarbela dam could give Sindh an additional 7.0maf of water, why would the Kalabagh dam not give another 2.25 maf to Sindh. Sindh, not having the groundwater that Punjab has, needs the Kalabagh dam more than Punjab.

Amanullah Khan
Lahore

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The only way to solve water and power crises is go with the nature, Town planning according to resources available, stop wastage.Population is moving from rural areas to cities Trees are being cut down and forests depleted. Cities should be planned near the rivers. Rivers change course after some years. Ravi river is an example. Islamabad is in rain dependent area ( Barani). Basically it was for government offices and residences. It is expanding on all sides. Saudi Arabia and UAE are using sea water, after processing, for drinking. etc. We in our part of the world use filtered water, supplied by various municipal authorities, for car wash, for drive way washing and to water gardens. Saudi Arabia is using sprinklers to grow wheat.Like wise in other middle Eastern Countries l All shopping and commercials centers should shut down at sunset. On Saturdays they may remain opened until 2200 hours, Street lights should be switched after 2200 hours. Solar and wind energy should be made use of. Government should reduces all taxes on the import of equipment for these for at least 5 years. Quoted are verses of Surat 15 (Al-Hijr) Verse 21 And there is not a thing, But its (sources and) treasures (inexhaustible) are with us; But we only send down Thereof in due and ascertainable measures..Verse 22 And we we send the fecundating winds, Then cause the rains to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water ( in abundance), Though you are not guardian of its stores. It is up to us, how we go about solving our issues.

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