LAHORE: The government has been urged to start construction of Kalabagh Dam to overcome the prevailing energy crisis in the country.
The representatives of local business community have asked Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to announce immediate construction of the dam in the better interest of the nation, which is facing loadshedding, acute water shortage or devastation of floods for the last many years because of absence of big water reservoirs and dams in the country.
Progressive Group President Khalid Usman and Deputy Secretary Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer in a joint statement claimed that reputed engineers and technocrats continue to recommend since decades that the survival of the country lies in the construction of Kalabagh dam but governments have not moved in that direction. Similar is the policy of the present government which is trying to go for coal fired projects which are not only expensive, a threat to environment and ecology but also a burden on the pocket of masses as well as the national kitty.
They suggested that there should be a national debate by politicians, engineers, qualified people and all stakeholders from all the provinces to take a decision about the Kalabagh dam. There should also be an interprovincial exchange of delegations, seminars on national and regional levels to convince the residents of those provinces about benefit of Kalabagh Dam who are opposed to this dam.
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan, who is ruling the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which is the most sensitive about construction of this dam, should also struggle to create awareness amongst the masses as it could keep him alive in history of the country forever, they added.
They claimed that Tarbela Dam has been eroded by 70 per cent which will complete its age in 2029. On the other hand KBD will have a storage capacity of 6.1 million acre feet minimum and a life span of 450 years, according to an estimate. In 1960 per capita availability for every Pakistani was 5100 cubic meter which has receded to 975 cubic meter by now which is a great threat to agriculture, Industry, economy and country. They said KBD would save province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from floods and irrigate land.
