‘Assemblies resolutions against KBD unlawful’
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Sher Afgan on Friday said resolutions adopted by the provincial assemblies of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan in the past opposing construction of Kalabagh Dam are “unlawful and unconstitutional”.
“These resolutions have no validity whatsoever,” he said while talking to media persons at his National Assembly Chamber. Referring to the relevant provisions of the constitution and rules of the business, he said, the matter is not within their preview under article 144 of the constitution and clause 156 of the rules of the business. Construction of Kalabagh dam is purely a econo-technical matter and this should not be politicised for petty gains, he said.
Dr Shger Afgan said, the country is in a dire need for construction of major water reservoirs and President General Pervez Musharraf as well as the federal government are fully cognisant of this national need. “President Musharraf would soon address the nation and take people in to confidence”.
He said the country needs to have a major dam immediately while two more dams would be required by year 2020. The dams which needs to be constructed include Kalabagh, Bhasha and Akori dams.
Terming Kalabagh dam as country’s economic life-line, he said, it is the most feasibly suited and economical dam for the earliest construction. This dam would need US $5 billion for construction and after its construction it would recover its cost within a period of ten years as it would not only help irrigate 500,000 acres in NWFP but also large chunks of barren lands in Sindh and Balochistan. The dam would also produce 3600 MW electricity at the cheapest rate of around Rs 0.50 per unit as compared to the available electricity at the rate of Rs 6 per unit. He said the international finances are ready to pay for the construction cost of the dam and it would be completed in five years time. Comparatively, he said, Bhasha dam if started today would take 10 years to be completed and it would cost around US $12 billion.
He said the site of Bhasa dam is located on the fault line and in the difficult hilly terrane. Above all, he said, if the dam is constructed then it would submerge around 250-300 km of Karakorum Highway. When his attention was drawn towards the recent statement of Chief Minister of Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Dr. Sher Afgan said, the province had reservations regarding the construction of canals of the dam and this matter is clear that Kalabagh would be a carryover dam and no canal would flow out of it. Therefore, he said, Sindh’s reservations are removed accordingly. The province of Sindh would be the major beneficiary as 80 % benefit of the dam would go to the province while second in the list would be Balochistan and then NWFP.
He clarified that Punjab would not be directly benefiting from the dam. He said in time of water shortage the provinces would be able to use stored water according to their due shares, as specified in the water accord. He also clarified that during winter season, when the water shortage touches its peak, water from the dam would be released in the downstream river to properly check the sea intrusions near Thatta and Badin districts of Sindh. This sea intrusion has been threatening the mangrove orchids and rare specie of prawns, he said. He said from downstream Kotri Barrage around 10 Million Acre Feet water is required to check the sea intrusion during the water shortage season and this shortage would be met through release of sufficient quantities of water from the dam.