ISLAMABAD: The construction of Kalabagh Dam is vital for the better future of the country as it will add 3600MW power to the national grid and help achieve target of 50,000MW by 2030, said the speaker of a seminar in Kalabagh Dam organised by the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was chief guest and Ch Moonis Elahi was the convener of the event, while experts from various fields also spoke on the occasion and highlighted enormous benefits of the project for all the four provinces of the country.
In the resolution adopted unanimously at the conclusion of the seminar it was stated that without water security all attempts to ensure food, energy, irrigation water security would remain a dream and govt must take concrete steps to ensure the water security to save the future of the nation.
It was further stated in the resolution that the construction of Kalabagh Dam would add $ 25 billion to the GDP through agriculture and energy sectors.
Ch Pervaiz Elahi, in his address, said if someone has objection over the name of Kalabagh Dam then it could be renamed as Pakistan Dam. He said that the construction of the dam would bring revolution in the lives of the poor people of all the four provinces as with the construction of the dam the country would get cheaper electricity, it would bring revolution in agriculture sector and would help bring large area of land in all the four provinces under cultivation.
He further said that the electricity which is being provided to people on Rs18 per unit would be provided to them on Rs2.5 per unit after the construction of the dam.
Criticising PML-N, Pervaiz said that those who were making tall claims of bringing an end to loadshedding have broken all the records of price-hike and made the poor people to pay the exorbitant utility bills with power rates shooting up to Rs18 and 20 which were between Rs3 to 5 during their government.
Addressing on the occasion, the speakers including former WAPDA chairman Shamsul Mulk, renowned economist and former finance minister Salman Shah, Senator Saeedul Hassan Mandokhel and other speakers highlighted the project of vital national importance and termed those opposing the construction of Kalabagh Dam as enemies of the country.
The other who spoke on the occasion included Nisar Safdar, Zafar Bakhtawari, Khaliq Mohmandullah, Abdul Rahim Baloch, Col (R) Abdul Razaq Bugti, Rizwan Ali and Muhammad Suleman.
Experts said that the construction of dam would help save around 40 million acre feet of water going down in sea every year and in this way besides generating power Sindh would get an additional four million acre feet, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 2.2 million acre feet, Balochistan 1.5 million acre feet while Punjab would get 2 million acre feet additional water for irrigation which could bring green revolution in the country.
