LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the statement of MQM head Altaf Hussain regarding construction of Kalabagh dam and hoped that his gesture would pave way for early completion of this mega project.
In a statement issued here Wednesday, the LCCI President Ijaz A. Mumtaz and Convener Standing Committee on Kalabagh Dam Abdul Basit said that it is a very good omen for the country that politicians have realized the need of Kalabagh dam that is inevitable to overcome water and power shortage in the country.
They said that economic growth lies in the generation of hydro power generation which is a cheap source of electricity.
They said that Kalabagh dam is the most suitable project for the national economy as it would not only produce cheap and sufficient electricity but would also avert the human tragedies.
Ijaz A. Mumtaz and Abdul Basit said that Kalabagh dam is a must to control the poverty & hunger and those who are opposing the KBD were enemies of this country as they were playing with the country‘s future.
They said that approximately Rs 132 billion could be saved annually with the construction of Kalabagh Dam.
They said that the experts had already proved that there is no threat to Nowshehra city as it is 150 feet above the water level.
They said that Kalabagh Dam, is not only beneficial to Punjab alone but it would be more helpful in erasing poverty from Khyber Pakhtun Khawa as would irrigate 800000 acres of cultivable land that is located 100-150 feet above the Indus river level in the province. They said this land could only be brought under cultivation if the river level is raised that is only possible if Kalabagh Dam is built.
They said civil society would have to play a crucial role in creating a larger consensus as new large water reservoirs would benefit every Pakistani.
They said that all the stakeholders should show some greater maturity on the issue of Kalabagh. It is the high time that all undue stands should be brushed aside to save the country from that era of darkness. They said that unlike Pakistan, India is constructing dams at every possible site. It has left us decades behind and coming time does not promise any good thing either.
Ijaz A. Mumtaz and Abdul Basit said that every one knows that the existing dams are constantly silting up leaving ever decreasing capacity to store water. The construction of Kalabagh dam along with other new dams is desperately needed to store adequate water. According to a conservative estimate about 35 million acre feet of water is being wasted into the sea because the country has no big water reservoirs to store it.
They said that another significant aspect connected with the construction of Kalabagh Dam is the surety of sufficient amount of electricity at comparatively much cheaper price. The country’s dependence on power generated through thermal sources is costing us way too much causing to face insurmountable challenges to remain competitive both in national and international markets.
