ACCORDING to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), Pakistan wastes water worth over $21 billion into the Arabian Sea each year. This is because of the lack of water conservation systems and incompetence of successive governments to overcome the loss.

Deplorably, we are still dealing with the Kalabagh dam issue and feel proud of Tarbela and Mangla dams, which are now in a dodgy state. While countries around the world are racing to build new dams to combat water crisis, the government pays little attention towards the looming problem. The unrestricted flow of water often leads to flood devastation in many areas. If this imminent water crisis is not tackled soon, the entire country will face an exigency in the future. The government needs to construct a dam on Panjnad River, where five small rivers of Punjab merge with the Indus.

This, I feel, is a pragmatic step the stakeholders should ponder over to store surplus water and avoid the dangers ahead.

Mazhar Yousuf Ansari
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2020