APROPOS the report ‘SC takes a step back on Kalabagh’ (June 9). The honourable court clarified in the news report that it is not pushing for the construction of Kalabagh dam, but is rather looking into how the water crisis in the country can be tackled. This is another unfortunate twist in the decades-long debate on an issue which has been political soccer at the expense of national survival.

If the urgency of this dam wasn’t clear decades ago — going back to Ayub Khan’s administration — it should be absolutely clear now that we have already stretched Pakistan’s lifeline to a point of violent rupture.

Nearly every water expert and engineering professional has issued dire warnings of impending catastrophe without this dam, strategically located to serve Pakistan’s critical needs, including: reestablishing critical water storage for both agricultural and human consumption; flood control; the production of hydro-power at a fraction of the costs Pakistan is incurring now on fossil-fuels based energy production; availability of thousands of additional acres of irrigable land for agricultural production currently barren because of the unavailability of a water, and finally, and perhaps most importantly, Pakistan’s national security.

If one doesn’t believe that a robust and secure water source translates directly into Pakistan’s survival as a nation, think again. Just lend an ear to the threats coming from across the border, potentially choking the already anaemic flows into our rivers.

Politicians of all stripes have forever distracted and misled the nation through fear- mongering, political grandstanding, demagogic stance and spinning stories about ‘better’ alternatives to the dam.

While some of these options can work in support of the Kalabagh dam, none (not a single one!) serves Pakistan’s needs on its own or even in combination with others. They are simple band-aids.

Protecting Pakistan’s water resources will protect Pakistan. Pure and Simple!

Pervaiz Anwar

California, USA

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THE main objection by Sindh against the construction of Kalabagh dam is that 8.5 million acre feet of water is not reaching downstream of Kotri. As a result, thousands of hectares of fertile land of Indus Delta situated in Thatta, Sujawal and Badin districts is being eroded by sea water.

Sea erosion is as catastrophic as river erosion as is happening in Layyah and other parts of southern Punjab. In the absence of Kalabagh Dam, the water scarcity situation in Sindh is so grave, that tail-end growers in many districts receive no water for days on end.

One solution to check sea erosion and save fresh water from draining into the sea, is building embankments along the site of Kotri downstream with stone pitching work.

A similar project which is a mega embankment has been built in Bangladesh along the coast near Cox’s Bazar to prevent cyclones. Iron gates can be installed along the embankment to utilize the drained water.

The building of such an embankment will serve two objectives: 1) the iron gates will keep flood/extra water within its basin for long periods and 2) the saved water can be used as a meter for maintaining water level besides irrigating the barren lands of the Indus delta. This in turn will help maintain the water level at Kotri barrage.

Asif Ali Khoso,

Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2018