ON one level at least, approval of the Diamer-Bhasha dam is good news for the country. With construction expected to begin in September next year and due to be completed in 2016 at a cost of $12.6bn, Diamer-Bhasha is expected to produce some 4,500MW of electricity per day. So robust a generation capacity will certainly go some way in tackling the country's growing energy crunch. At the same time, the dam can also help tackle the problem of irrigation water shortages. Yet, there is cause for concern. While the government is confident that it will be able to drum up the requisite investment, it needs to be noted that the project's estimated cost has risen dramatically in recent years — from $6.4bn in 2004 and $8.5bn in 2007 to $12.6bn today. Given that delays in the execution of large projects are routine in this country, it is difficult to say at this point what
the eventual cost will be and how it will be covered. Though seemingly in the national interest, giving Diamer-Bhasha the go-ahead in these testing times is an ambitious move nonetheless.
There are other issues as well, foremost among them being the relocation of those whose villages will be flooded by the dam. Pakistan's track record has been dismal when it comes to compensation for involuntary resettlement, with claims still pending from the construction of Mangla and Tarbela dams. Some loss-of-livelihood disputes related to the Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project remain unresolved as well. The authorities have also ridden roughshod over the affectees of the Lyari Expressway project in Karachi. Even when compensation is made to those displaced by mega projects, it cannot be limited to the provision of land equal in size to that which was lost and a monetary handout for construction purposes. The quality of the land provided and true value of lost assets also come into it, as do assistance for relocation and compensation for any loss of livelihood or a way of life. As the Asian Development Bank puts it, affectees must be “assisted so that their economic and social future will generally be at least as favourable with the project as without it”.

The environment loses out too. Large dams have a negative impact on river systems and the life they sustain, besides altering surrounding habitats. Among other detrimental outcomes, they trap sediment and this can affect soil productivity downstream while depriving many fish species of the riverbed gravel in which they spawn. The damage can be particularly devastating in the delta regions where a river meets the sea, leading to species loss, loss of arable land and loss of livelihood. Has the government thoroughly assessed what impact Diamer-Bhasha will have on the environment and the people? These considerations are important. We write this on the presumption that the risk factors have been studied and the dam has been found to be safe.