KALABAGH DAM AND THE WATER DEBATE IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Kalabagh Dam (KBD) project holds a unique place in Pakistan’s policy making history. It has generated significant heated debate and controversy for a very long time. Three out of the country’s four provinces have refused to go along with this project. However, in spite of the heated debate facts on KBD are not transparent, and the case of smaller provinces has not been highlighted in mainstream media debates. This paper investigates key issues like how much Indus river water is available, the annual wastage of 35 MAF water and the negative consequences of interventions with nature. On the face of it, at present, water is available for storage and expanded irrigation but the question is whose water and at what expense? Will it remain available in future when India utilizes all that has been acceded to it under the Indus Basin Treaty of 1960? Second, all that is ours is not available on regular basis. The average availability includes the occasional superfloods. Unless we can store the superfloods the average availability is simply not there for, sometimes, years on end; but KBD cannot store the superfloods. It is not a carryover dam. Finally while more irrigation water will be made available to Sindh, it will come at the expense of what is already passing through it and required for flood irrigation and as essential environmental outflows.