PESHAWAR, Sept 14: The construction of Basha and Kalabagh dams is in the national interest, says member of the NWFP Assembly Nighat Orakzai.

Expressing her views on President Pervez Musharraf’s speech, leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s women’s wing Nighat Orakzai welcomed the decision, saying the president’s stand on issues of public interest was justified.

She said the new design of the Kalabagh dam, would remove fears expressed by various quarters, adding that reduction in the dam’s height from 925 feet to 915 feet would avert danger to Nowshera or Akhora Khattak.

Defending the decision to build new dams, Nighat Orakzai said new water projects were necessary for the country because the storage capacity of Mangla and Tarbela dams had been reduced because of accumulation of silt.—APP