Water Problems : Kala Bagh Dam Should be Built

Water Problems

Geographically, Pakistan lies between latitudes 24o – 37o north and longitudes 61o – 75o east located in South Asia. Pakistan shares an eastern border with India, Northern border with China, western border with Iran and Afghanistan while the Arabian Sea lies to its south.The country has an area of 796, 096 sq. km, having four provinces Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Climatically Pakistan is situated in arid and semi-arid region, but lies on the western margin of the monsoon region and eastern margin of the temperate cyclones originating over and across the Mediterranean Sea.

The distribution of rainfall is strongly seasonal, though Pakistan is not very lucky as regards rain water. The maximum rainfalls occur in a strip of land underneath the foothills in the high areas of Punjab. The rainfall diminishes towards Cholistan and Thar deserts in Bahawalpur and eastern Sindh, and towards Baluchistan in the west.

God has gifted Pakistan with rich water resources, with water flowing down the Himalayas and Karakorum heights from the world largest glaciers. As a result of this natural resource we have the world’s biggest adjacent irrigation system that presently irrigates over 34 million hectares of land, out of 36 million hectares of cultivable lands available. Irrigation plays a central role in Pakistan’s economy.

Pakistan is basically an agricultural country and irrigation is the life blood of its agriculture. For agriculture, water seems to be the key source of development. But Pakistan’s water problems are more due to scanty rainfalls. The volume of rainfall received in Pakistan does not confirm with the cultivation season. It is impossible to cultivate Rabi and some of the Kharif crops due to the shortage of water in the summer. If there are heavy rains the rivers are in heavy floods and if there are no rains the rivers are dry and create shortage of water. So the water situation is becoming critical for Pakistan with every passing year.

During the last 30 years no new Dams have been constructed, thus Pakistan is neglecting the dreadful condition of water for the country, which is today distress for this illegal disregard in the form of drought and acute water shortage throughout the country especially in Sindh and Baluchistan  Sindh has brackish subsoil water, which cannot be used for irrigation purposes. So the water scarcity in Sindh province will be much keener in the coming years and this adversity can be averted only by undertaking building of new Dams.

Currently Pakistan is facing an acute short fall in food grain. It is estimated that by year 2010, there would be a short fall of some 6 to 7 millions. If nothing is done there would be a shortage of 16 million tons by 2020.

The World Bank had conducted a study of Pakistan’s water and power resources in 1960, which predicted that Pakistan will need to have another Dam on the Indus in 1980’s. The study indicated that by 1990’s, Pakistan water and power resources would become insufficient to meet its domestic needs which would accelerate with massive growth of population. This second Dam was recommended to be the proposed Kala Bagh Dam Project. Kala Bagh Dam is the only option left with Pakistan to meet our power and irrigation requirements.