Re: Pro's and Con's of Kalabagh Dam
Kalabagh dam is not the clear winner it is projected to be. First, its viability is premised on water availability figures that are highly questionable.Second, the land constraint precludes substantive increases in cultivable area, additional water notwithstanding.Third, crop yield increases based on additional water do not account for the aggravated water logging and salinity that would result; furthermore, higher doses of water are associated with high input use, which degrades both soil, and water quality.Using existing water more efficiently is clearly a better option on both environmental and equity grounds. Fourth, hydel energy is not unequivocally cheaper, given the growing propensity to factor in displacement and environmental costs. Also, borrowing costs are likely to be higher as donors have indicated a clear preference for thermal power projects. Fifth, Kalabagh would further exacerbate ecosystem degradation, adding to mangrove and species loss and impoverishing communities, which depend on the ecosystem’s resources.Also, as an instrument of flood control Kalabagh is poorly supported by the historical evidence.In view of these facts, the option of implementing a sedimentation management project on Tarbela appears a clear winner on all grounds – financial, economic, social and environmental.
The beneficiaries of KBD would be Punjab which would flourish at the expense of Sindh and NWFP, and those recieving kickbacks for this multi-billion dollar project.
Projects such as the Bhasha dam would help, and not tear at the existence of Pakistan itself.