Kalabagh Dam Aimed At Safeguarding The Interests Of The Country
Kalabagh Dam Aimed At Safeguarding The Interests Of The Country: A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan on Monday took up a two-year-old petition filed by Barrister Zafarullah, seeking directions regarding the construction of Kalabagh Dam. During the hearing, the applicant expressed fear that existing water reservoirs will be depleted by 2025.
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has welcomed the action taken by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on water issues and Kalabagh Dam, calling it a ray of hope for Pakistan.
In a statement, LCCI President Malik Tahir Javaid pointed out that Indian water aggression and Pakistan’s failure to build new water reservoirs had thrown the country into ranks of water-starved countries.
“Research reports have warned that Pakistan will have absolute water scarcity by the year 2025, if water reservoirs are not built,” he said.
He was of the view that Kalabagh would be equally beneficial for all the provinces and delay in its construction was the only reason behind water shortage in Sindh and other parts of the country.
Average water supply to Sindh was 36.6 million acre feet annually before the construction of Mangla and Tarbela dams, he said, adding the supply was enhanced to 40.30 million acre feet after the building of these dams. “Kalabagh Dam will supply an additional 4 million acre feet to the southern province.”
The LCCI chief called the construction of Kalabagh Dam inevitable for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan as it would produce electricity at an average cost of Rs.2 per kilowatt hour (kWh).
“This cheap power will displace costly electricity, which is approximately worth Rs300 billion annually with savings in expensive oil imports,” he said.
The dam will irrigate 800,000 acres of land that is located 100-150 feet above the Indus River.
The top court has sought a reply from the federal government regarding measures it has taken concerning the construction of water reservoirs.
The bench has also directed Additional Attorney General for Pakistan Waqar Rana to apprise about the government’s actions within 15 days regarding the mass awareness campaign on the significance of Kalabagh dam in view of two Council of Common Interest (CCI) decisions.
Justice Bandial remarked that there is no doubt that dams should be constructed, but there should be a consensus among provinces, adding that in 1998, there was a CCI decision to launch an awareness campaign on the significance of Kalabagh Dam.
The proposed hydroelectric dam would be constructed on the Indus River at Kalabagh in Mianwali district. Intensely debated and deemed a necessity by many, the dam, if built, would have a 3,600-megawatt electricity generation capacity.
The petitioner requested the bench to pass orders for the federal government to hold a referendum on the construction of Kalabagh Dam under Article 48.
The Supreme Court on Monday scheduled the hearing of the Kalabagh dam case for June 9. The hearing of the case will be conducted in the apex court’s Karachi registry.
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