News
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
No respite from load shedding in near future* Experts say Indian construction of dams on Pakistani rivers could prove costly for country’s agriculture
By Zaheer Shahzad
LAHORE: Amid an ever-worsening energy crisis, water experts do not see an immediate increase in the country’s power generation, particularly in hydro, anytime in the near future.
“If India is not stopped from constructing dams on Pakistani rivers, especially on the Indus, then Delhi’s move could prove very dangerous for us and could wreak havoc on Pakistan’s agriculture and industry,” experts said.
The country’s overall power requirement crossed the 15,000MW benchmark last week, against a power supply of 10,000MW.
Water experts say that the construction of three Indian dams on the Indus River with a total capacity of 2,060MW would push Pakistan to the brink of a ‘water disaster’ and the availability of water would plunge from the current 1,200 cubic metres per capita to 800 cubic metres by 2020.
“Sixty years ago, 5,000 cubic metres of water was available to every Pakistani citizen. India has already constructed the Baglihar Power Project at the Chenab River and it is building more dams on Chenab, such as the Uri-1 and Uri-2 projects. Also, India plans to build 10-20 more dams on Chenab and Jehlum rivers and is already constructing the Kishanganga hydro power project,” experts said.
Pakistan Water Front (PWF) Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik said Delhi was strangling Pakistan by building hydropower projects on Pakistani rivers. “Our enemy, after failing to defeat us on the battlefield, has resorted to killing us economically,” he said.
Criticising successive governments for not taking the issue seriously, he said, “It is the duty of our rulers to take up water-related issues with India.”
He flayed politicians who were opposed to building the Kalabagh Dam, saying such politicians were acting like the agents of India’s Research and Analysis Wing.
Blaming India for stealing Pakistan’s water, Pakistan Muttahida Mahaz President Ayub Mao said Delhi had planned to “plunge the country into darkness”. He urged the international community to take notice of India’s water aggression against Pakistan.
Separately, senior WAPDA officials stood their ground by saying that load shedding would end by mid-April with snow melting in the country’s north. According to statistics provided by WAPDA, the power shortfall, which had reached 5,000MW, has now come down to around 4,500MW. The authority predicts a further decline in the current figures of the power shortfall in the days to come.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk