ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Sufficient surplus water is currently available at present and construction of additional reservoirs was necessary, chairman of technical committee on water A.N.G. Abbasi said here on Thursday.

He told mediamen after submitting his report on construction of new dams to the prime minister that the report covered all aspects of water, including availability, future irrigation needs, filling criteria for Mangla and Tarbela dams and construction of new dams in future.

Informed sources told Dawn that Mr Abbasi has supported construction of new dams subject to the condition that irrigation requirements of the provinces should be met on priority and then filling of dams should be carried out.

The report said surplus water availability was only 50 per cent. This means that surplus water for storage was available only in five years on a ten-year basis. On an international level, a dam is considered as feasible if water availability is 80 per cent, these sources said.

Mr Abbasi has also recommended to ensure equitable distribution of water resources among the provinces strictly in accordance with the 1991 water apportionment accord.

The report has also been handed over to the secretary water and power Ashfaq Mehmood, the sources said.

An official statement said the prime minister said water security was extremely critical for future growth and development of Pakistan. In order to achieve water security, construction of storages and distribution infrastructure is essential, he said.

The committee comprised a chairman and eight members, two from each province.

The prime minister thanked the chairman for the hard work put in by him and members of the committee for addressing a major issue like water availability.