THE Kalabagh Dam is not detrimental to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). During the historic flood of 1929, a glacier drifted downstream along the River Indus, getting stuck at Attock gorge. As no barrages, bridges or dams existed, water accumulated upstream leading to the submergence of Nowshera with water levels rising to 4.9 metres.

This glacier behaved as a dam in Attock gorge would have. The subsequent project planning Kalabagh Dam initially decided to protect Nowshera by providing earthen dykes all around Nowshera, with a maximum conservation level of 282 metres above mean sea level. However, KP’s senior engineers lobbied against this, with two very valid technical observations about the maximum level of Kalabagh dam.

According to them, in the event of maximum storage level being reached, Nowshera would become like a cup and further heavy rainfalls would inundate the Kalabah reservoir due to non-disposal of rain water leading Nowshera to be submerged. Further, silt from the Kabul river — which falls into Indus near Attock — could also lead to choking of Warsak dam. After exhaustively consulting international experts the decision to lower dam storage by 3 metres was taken. Due to dire political pressure, the KP engineers agreed despite the validity of their technical objections. On this basis, I request Asfandyar Wali Khan and other Awami National Party officials to kindly get this issue technically studied by experts of their choice appointed by ANP.

Muhammad Yunus Awan

Retired Chief Engineer, Wapda

Dera Ismail Khan

(2)

The construction of the Kalabagh dam would be a gross injustice to Sindh.

Technically speaking, the KB dam would be a great opportunity for Pakistan in terms of water storage. But who would address the apprehensions of Sindh regarding the construction of a Right Bank Canal that would carry water to Dera Ismail Khan?

Sindh fears that if such a canal is constructed for irrigation purposes, it would then be a repetition of history: as was done in 1985 when the CJ Link Canal was opened on the directive of the then prime minister Muhammad Khan Junejo under the pressure of then Punjab chief minister Mian Nawaz Sharif.

The Opening of CJ Link Canal always remained a bone of contention between Sindh and Punjab, as the former believes that the flowing of water into the CJ Canal is unlawful and a violation of the 1991 water accord.

CJ Link Canal offtakes from Chashma Barrage on its left bank and conveys water to the Jehlum to meet the requirement of the canals off-taking at Trimmu Headworks on the Jehlum near Jhang.

The Tarbela dam was to store surplus floodwater, and Chashma-Jehlum and Taunsa-Panjnand link canals were to withdraw this surplus water for upper and lower south Punjab, respectively, without in anyway interfering with the normal flow of the Indus.

Although these two canals were designed as flood-canal and only to be used in case of floods, clearly that did not happen and are being continuously run since then!

If KB dam is to be made, then it should not be done at the cost of the federation. A national consensus is a must.

Tarique Ahmed Abro

Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2018