MISTAKEN environmentalism and dubious concerns for ecology have brought us to the brink of disaster.

A little distress has been shown about the safety of mangroves if Zulfiquarabad is built. Of course, some damage there may be, but there are ways to contain it.

The suggestion that industrial estates in future should be built along the Indus will mean total disaster.

The river Swat way up in the north is a case in point. Nearly 100 hotels that throw their refuse into the river have made its water unfit for drinking.

If industrial estates are built along the Indus, its water will also become unfit for drinking.

A victim of sham concern for the interests of Sindh is the Kalabagh dam. Everyone jumped on the Kalabagh bandwagon without realising what damage they were causing to Sindh.

If the dam is built, it will make sorely needed water available for crops. It will also give us the badly needed electricity.

The real enemies of the people of Sindh is not the Kalabagh dam but ourselves. A vigorous campaign is needed to make the resistance against the Kalabagh dam soften up. People in Sindh should be told how they are harming Sindh.

Azmat Ansari
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2014