APROPOS the news ‘SC ask for steps taken to build more water reservoirs’ (April 3). The petitioner in the case has regretted that instead of building reservoirs to store water, the same was being drained into the sea annually which was the cause of land erosion, he insisted upon the construction of Kalabagh Dam.

As a matter of fact, the required amount of freshwater that should be drained into the Arabian Sea to avoid erosion is 35 million acre feet. However, less than 15maf of water is allowed to go into the sea. As a result, 3.5 million acres of agricultural land across the coastal belt of Sindh has been eroded and the sea is eating up 100 acres of land across the coastal belt of Sindh on a daily basis.

It is widely perceived that the Kalabagh dam will further deprive Sindh of its due share of water owing to water storage. Already, the required water does not flow into the Arabian Sea, so it is safe to assume that the proposed dam would further decrease Sindh’s share of water. Sindh, despite reservations, has accepted the water accord of 1991 and demands its full implementation.

It is, therefore, requested that Sindh’s genuine demands be addressed to save it from the pernicious effects of sea erosion. Yes, dams should be built but with the consent of the lower riparian, which in this case is Sindh.

Engr. Aasim Aslam Abbasi

Moro

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2018