KAHAL BALA dam located in Haripur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is a source of clean water and a serene environment with rich natural beauty, flora and fauna. A provincial minister hailing from Haripur, Akbar Ayub Khan, in a recent visit to the area, announced the establishment of an information technology university at the site of the dam after it is demolished.

This act would put marine and wildlife at risk. The move is purely political and in utter disregard of environmental protection laws and conservation of environment. The same provincial minister has already destroyed Mang dam in the district and transformed it into a university.

The dam site has been selected to bypass the formality of acquiring land for public purpose as per the Land Acquisition Act prevalent in KP.

I am a lawmaker myself, and strongly feel that the minister must comply with the legal formalities of acquiring land instead of playing politics and destroying the wildlife dependent upon the dam. Large parcels of land are lying vacant adjacent to Kahal Bala dam and the same can be utilised.

The prime minister and the climate change ministry should put a stop to the destruction of dams.

Syeda Saima Shabbir

Haripur

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2019