[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
dam-l Kalabagh Dam: politics, environment, social <fwd>
From: "src st" <src_st@hotmail.com> (by way of patrick@irn.org (Patrick
McCully)) (by way of Dianne Murray <dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>)
Subject: Kalabagh Dam Political, Environmental & Humanitarian Disaster
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by
lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca id AAA10153
Kalabagh Dam Political, Environmental & Humanitarian Disaster
by : Ayaz Latif Palijo
In spite of rejection of Kalabagh Dam Project by the environmental
and irrigation experts and by the three out of four peoples and
provinces (Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan) of Pakistan through their duly
elected Provincial Assemblies, On June 11 1998 Prime Minister of
Pakistan announced his governmentís decision to construct Kalabagh dam.
On the very next day Sindh and NWFP (Pakhtunkhwa) erupted in protest
and thousands of people came to streets in different cities and towns
raising slogans against this disastrous decision. Three complete general
strikes have taken place, an Anti-Kalabagh Dam front(AKDF) has been
formed and different political, social, religious and environmental
organizations have started protest marches, hunger strikes and
demonstrations. Political leaders Benazir Bhutto, Wali Khan, Rasool Bux
Palijo, Ataulah Mengal, Nisar Khoro, Wishnoo Mal, and Afzal Khan and
experts, writers and intellectuals Qamer Zaman Shah, Abdul Majid Kazi,
A.N.G. Abbasi, Jamal Rind, Taj Haider, Ibrahim Joyo, Aly Ercelawn,
G.N.Mughal, Ayaz Latif, Hasan Zaidi, Abdul Rasool Memon, Abid Shah,
Aijaz Qureshi, Shahnawaz Chandio, Munawer Leghari, Sassui Palijo, Ibrar
Qazi, Nadeem Jamali and Karamat Ali have termed the decision as grave
threat against the interests of the three provinces and a deep rooted
conspiracy to politically and economically destroy Sindh and NWFP.
Background :
Indus River and Water distribution:
The area of present-day Sindh province was the center of the ancient
Indus Valley/ Mohen-jo-daro Civilization(2300 BC-1750 BC), it was named
after Indus, the great Trans-Himalayan river of South Asia and one of
the world's longest rivers, with a length of 2,900 km. The Indus (also
called Mehran and Sindhoo) rises in southwestern Tibet at an elevation
of about 18,000 feet (5,500 m) and flows in a northwesterly direction
along the slopes of the Himalayas, crossing into Jammu and Kashmir from
the southeast. The Shyok, Shigar, Zaskar, Gilgit and other streams carry
snow and glacial waters to the Indus from the Himalayan, Nanga Parbat
and Karakoram ranges. The river crosses the western Kashmir border and
then turns southwest to enter Pakistan. In Pakistan it emerges from the
highlands and flows towards the semi arid Punjab Plain where it receives
its tributaries Jhelum, Ravi, Chenab, Beas, and Sutlej rivers.
Afterwards Indus becomes much wider and flows at a slow speed,
depositing large enriching quantities of silt along its course in the
plains of Sindh. In the district of Thatta the Indus begins its
deltaic stage and reaches the Arabian Sea in the southeast of Karachi.
The irrigation and hydropower structures constructed throughout the
2,900 km length of Indus and on its tributaries include 2 dams, 19
barrages and 43 canals. After the partition of subcontinent (1947)
following structures were made on Indus and treaties were signed and
executed:
1-Kotri, Tuansa and Guddu barrages were built in 1955, 1958 and 1962
respectively.
2-Indus Water Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 and
33 MAF (million acre feet) water of the Indusís three tributaries Ravi,
Beas and Sutlaj rivers was exclusively assigned to India without
consulting Sindh.
3- Under 1960ís Indus Water Treaty India has been allowed to develop
1.35 million acres of irrigated land without any restriction on the
quantity of water.
4- Mangla Dam was built on Indusís tributary Jhelum river in 1967 for
the storage of 5.3 MAF water.
5- Tarbela Dam was built on Indus in 1975 for the storage of 9.3 MAF
water.
6- At the time of independence (1947) about 64 MAF of water was being
utilized annually in the irrigation canals in the country and as per
Sindh Punjab Draft Agreement of 1945, 48.33 MAF water of Indus was
allocated to the province of Punjab and 48.74 MAF was allocated to
Sindh. But according to Water Accord signed in 1991 by the then
federally nominated/ sponsored Chief Minister, 117.35 MAF water have
been allocated to the provinces, out of which 55.94 MAF has been given
to Punjab (increasing 7.61 MAF) and 48.76 MAF has been allocated to
Sindh (increasing just 0.02 MAF).
7- Chashma-Jhelum link (21000 cusecs) and Taunsa-Panjnad link (12000
cusecs) were constructed after Indus Water treaty (1960) for providing
water of Indus to Punjab.
Kalabagh Dam and its Salient Features:
The proposal of Kalabagh dam officially surfaced in 1984, in July 1985
the federal Minister of Water & Power formally announced that the
project work had been started and the dam would be completed in 1994.
Since then at least Rs 1.3 billion (US$ 28 million) have already been
spent on the various phases of this most controversial project in the
country's 50 year history.
-Proposed location is 200 km downstream of Tarbela Dam near Mianwali in
Punjab province.
-Project study was initiated in 1953.
-Storage capacity is about 6.7 MAF of water.
-Proposed height of the KB Dam is 260 feet.
-Total estimated project cost in 1987 & 1992 was about US$ 4.9 billion.
-Expected donors are World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA), Governments of China, Saudi
Arabia, Italy and Japan.
Advantages claimed by WAPDA, Fed. Govt. & representatives of Punjab
-Kalabagh Dam will generate/provide 3600 MW hydro-electric power( the
royalty of this power will be given to Punjab)
-The Dam will provide water for the irrigation of four million acres
mainly located in the province of Punjab, out of which 380000 acres
will be irrigated in Mianwali, Khushab and Jhelum districts and 2150000
acres will be irrigated in D.I Khan.
-Kalabagh Dam project will provide 35000 jobs.
-KB Dam is also essential because storage capacity of Tarbela and Mangla
Dams is decreasing due to sedimentation.
Kalabagh a disastrous threat to the existence of Three Provinces:
For the last fifty years our insincere rulers have been plundering the
national wealth, acting against democracy and reducing the common people
to a state of acute poverty by rendering them jobless and failing to
control the soaring prices of essential commodities. At this crucial
stage if they will continue their malpracticeís and if any unilateral
decision is imposed regarding the construction of Kalabagh Dam, it would
have a far reaching adverse impact on political, economic and
geophysical set-up of three provinces. The Dam is not just a technical
issue, it is now a socio-political, environmental and humanitarian
problem which involves the fate of thousands of people of Sindh and NWFP
provinces. The construction of Kalabagh Dam is not only detrimental to
the interests of three small provinces but it would be the fatal blow
for the peoples unity and lethal attack on the national integrity and
existence.
Following are the major threats and objections raised by three
provinces:
-Kalabagh dam will not only store 6.7 MAF water of Indus but 12.8 MAF
water will be diverted to left bank and right bank canals for the
irrigation in Mianwali, Khushab, Jhelum and Dera Ismail Khan districts.
Therefore the KB dam will be consuming 19.5 MAF water of Indus.
-Under the provisions of Water Accord of 1991, a quantity of 10 MAF has
been provisionally earmarked for out flow to sea which in fact will not
be available after storage at Kalabagh dam.
-There is already a deep distrust created between Sindh and Punjab on
the two irrigation links. Chashma-Jhelum link (21000 cusecs) and
Taunsa-Panjnad link (12000 cusecs) have been kept open for the last
several years without prior consent and permission of the Sindh
provincial government in flagrant violation of the inter-provincial
agreement. Due to their past malpracticeís and breaches of trust people
of Sindh do not trust WAPDA and Punjab irrigation department. People
believe that the aim of Punjab regarding building a dam is to keep a
life and death grip on the life line of Sindh, in this way the ruthless
and unscrupulous ruling coteries would be able to control the very
existence of four crore (40 million) Sindhis.
-WAPDA has exaggerated the figures of water availability and has
reduced the figures of system losses, outflow to sea and India's
authorized uses on western rivers, to some how arrive at a high figure
of net water availability. WAPDA has used mean year calculation method
instead of 4 Out of 5 years (80% Probability)method, has ignored lean
(acute shortage) years , and has deliberately submitted pretentious and
inflated figures which is evident from the following comparison:
Description---------------------WAPDAís Claim----Actual figure
Available Water in West. Rivers---143.1 MAF----125.3 MAF
(Indus, Jhelum & Chenab)
Eastern Rivers Contribution--------4.0 MAF--------Nil
(Sutlej, Beas & Ravi)
System Losses------------------------10.0 MAF------14.0 MAF
Out flow to sea-----------------------5.8 MAF--------10.0 MAF
Accord Allocation to Provinces---117.35 MAF----117.35 MAF
Net Water Availability------------(+)14.0 MAF----(-)16.0 MAF
-As far as the environmental and ecological aspects and threats are
concerned the shortage of water for out flow to sea has already caused
reduction in the volume of silt. Indus river once brought down 600
million tones of silt out of which half reached the sea and half
fertilized the alluvial plain. Today, just 36 million tones passes the
upstream barrages and dams. The Indus delta was spread over in 350 sq.
km before the partition, it also had more than nine perennial streams,
now it has only two perennial streams and covers just about 25 sq. km.
This reduction has resulted in the erosion and degradation of the delta,
elimination of 0.6 million acres of riverine forests and destruction of
mangrove forest area, which has reduced from 263,000 hectares in 1977 to
158,500 hectares in 1990.
-From aquatic conservation point of view the famous Palla fish,
Bulahan(Indus dolphin), Khagga(Sea cat) and other aquatic species have
become nearly extinct due to water shortage. The annual production of
Palla has been reduced from 5000 tons to just 500 tons.
-Further reduction of fresh water flows below Kotri will be a disaster
for the common people & fishermen (Munhanas) who depend upon
agriculture and fisheries in coastal Sindh.
-Water quality at Sehwan (Town of Sindh) on the Indus River has
deteriorated by 24 % during 1968 to 1980 and by 1985 it has reached a
level of 50 % deterioration. As the quantity of river
flow is decreased, the water quality is correspondingly degraded.
- Govt. claims that Tarbela Dam never affected Sindh but in fact for
the last twenty years , in times of scarcity of water, Sindh's share
never reached it since it was siphoned off to the Punjab. Even after the
controversial Water Accord of 1991, Sindh has continued to be deprived
of its share agreed to in the said accord.
-Indus river plays a vital role in the formation of psyche, society and
culture of the Sindhi people. The construction of the dam is likely to
keep Indus below Sukkur dry most of the year. Many fishermen living on
the Indus will become homeless and the Indus that is the Darya Shah
(living legend) for Sindhis will be polluted and reduced from once
mighty river to mere expanse of shallow water. This is equal to the
cultural invasion and devastation of the thousands year old
cultural heritage of Sindhi people.
-Kalabagh Dam will be a grave threat to the fertile Peshawar valley and
thousands of acres of NWFPís most fertile agricultural land will be
destroyed. According to govt.ís own figures a total of 35,000 acres of
land will be inundated/submerged by the Dam, out of which 3,000 acres
are irrigated while 27,000 acres are barani.
-As a result of rise of water level due to pounding up at Kalabagh, the
water level in Kabul river will rise due to back water effect, thus
posing serious threat to the Nowshera (a city of about 200000 people)
which will be fully waterlogged within few years.
-Water quality will be polluted by salinity due to nearness of Khewra
and Kohat salt formations.
-As the KB Dam will cause the displacement of 250,000 people, there will
be an issue of implementing compensation and resettlement of the
thousands of men, women, and children who will lose houses and lands
submerged by KB.
-Mardan Salinity control project will be affected because of lower
level.
-Several roads, structures, bridges & railway lines would be affected in
NWFP.
-The province of Balochistan has been irrigating about 300000 acres with
the supply from Pat feeder of Guddu ( a barrage of Indus) which will be
affected by the shortage of water.
-The destruction of wildlife/bird Sanctuaries, riverine forests and
natural lakes like Manchar, Kinjhar, Hadero, Haleji and Chotiari will
affect biodiversity, specially the migratory birds of Siberia and
Kazekustan and endangered aquatic as well as terrestrial species.
-As the system losses will increase with the construction of a high KB
Dam, additional losses will be about 4 MAF.
-KB Dam will trap an estimated two-thirds of the sediments of the Indus
River, which has the fifth highest sediment load in the world
-The Dam will increase salinity and waterlogging and will further
degrade agricultural productivity of the Indus Basin
-Shortage/ absence of required quantity of water (27 MAF) for outflow to
sea will increase the expansion/rising of ocean waters due to Greenhouse
effect/Global warming.
-Shortage of water near, and in, the river's estuary would cause a lot
of
environmental degradation in the coastal areas, destroying Tamar
(mangroves) and marine life as well as causing considerable ecological
damage to the Indus
in its lower reaches. Arabian sea water might travel upwards for
considerable distances submerging/immersing large regions of lower
Sindh.
ñThe shortage of water created by Dam will dry out the forests and Kacha
(riverine) areas along the banks of the river Indus converting huge
areas of Sindh into desert. The river Indus will loose its assimilative
capacity due to reduced/lost flow converting it into practically a drain
merely to carry sewage and industrial wastewater and rendering all
aquatic life in the river dead either due to toxins or lack of dissolved
oxygen. Use of this contaminated water for public water supplies and
other consumption would result in grave health problems.
ñAs for as the irrigation of Punjabís Seraiki areas are concerned, the
lands along the proposed canal sites are already owned/purchased by the
settlers and absentee landlords and it will result in adverse
demographic change in Seraiki belt, starting a powerful process of
reducing the Seraiki-speaking people to a tiny minority in their
thousands year old homeland.
Conclusions:
Sustainable development involves the continuing supply of resources for
future generations and the policies for achieving sustainable
development must focus on political, environmental, cultural and
economic aspects and concerns. The development in Pakistan also needs
the global vision and basic changes in the patterns of consumption and
in the allocation of resources. Any unilateral initiative and
authoritarian decision of the government which causes unequal
distribution of resources and which affects historic claims of nations
will be largely viewed as arrogant and oppressive denial of fundamental
rights and democratic values. The unity of the four provinces upon which
rests the very existence of Pakistan is obviously more important than
the construction of any specific project. All of us know that huge dams
have adverse effects on the people they oust, communities in which these
people settle, and downstream residents. According to the reports of
international experts, World Commission on Dams (WCD) and International
Rivers Network (IRN) over the past 50 years, some 30 to 60 million
people worldwide have been displaced by large dams. Tens of millions
more living downstream have been impoverished due to falling
productivity of their farmland and fisheries after dam construction.
Many dams, such as Sardar Sarova/Maheshwar Dam on the Narmada River in
India, Arun in Nepal, Kaeng Sua Ten in Thailand, and Bakun in
Malaysia, are being opposed by the environmentalists . Pakistan is the
signatory of the Declaration of Rio which states that ìIn order to
achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall
constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be
considered in isolation from it.î. Kalabagh dam project is bound to
score an environmental, humanitarian and political disaster, therefore
140 million people of Pakistan need its immediate
rejection/termination.
Following are the conclusions made after the debate:
-WAPDAís stand that the KB Dam is delayed just for political
considerations otherwise no technical problems are left unsolved is
totally wrong, besides political, humanitarian and economical
reservations there are environmental concerns which are very much
technical.
-WAPDA has claimed that there is 17 MAF net available water but actually
there is a shortage in the system and we require 16.0 MAF, so , there is
no surplus water for construction of Kalabagh Dam. Even the quantity of
10 MAF decided for out flow to sea in the Water Accord of 1991 is not
available for 48 out of 72 years, which will result in serious
deterioration in the ecological conditions in the deltaic region.
-IUCN, an international conservation organization has worked out the
annual requirements for out flow to sea for environmental sustenance to
be 27 MAF. This corresponds to 0.3 million cusecs discharge flowing for
a period of 45 days. Therefore in future accords and treaties the
quantity for out flow to sea should be kept 27 MAF.
-The highest annual flow of water in the recorded history of the last
75 years (1922-1997) was 186 MAF in the year 1959-60 as against the
minimum of 97.8 MAF in the year 1974-75, with an annual average of 138
MAF. There has been a drought cycle of nine continuous years from 1924
to 1933, when the river flows were below the average, therefore a
careful approach is required in forecasting the quantity of water
expected to be available in future, specially in the lean years.
-WAPDA can increase the water level in Mangla dam without any major
capital investment, but instead they want to construct KB Dam at the
cost of Rs. 250 billion. Tarbela is now expected to become inoperative
due to siltation in the next 15 to 20 years. The dam came close to
failure twice: in 1977 by the collapse of two of its outlets due to
cavitation, and in 1978 by
massive erosion of the plunge pool that began to erode the flow
spillway. Since its construction, seismic activity has increased in the
earthquake-prone Indus Basin, raising fears of a failure at Tarbela and
catastrophe downstream. Government claims that Kalabagh is essential
because Tarbela Dam has outlived its life due to siltation but if the
life of the Tarbela Dam can be extended by its desiltation at a
fraction of the cost of KB then what justification would remain for
Kalabagh?
-As far as power generation is concerned, one must remember that once
all
IPPs come online Pakistan will have surplus electricity. If we remember,
there was even talk of selling it to India. We will still have to buy
the electricity from the IPPs (private power projects) since we have
contracted to do so. Therefore the cost of electricity will not come
down no matter how much cheaper the hydel energy will be. This is also
evident from the existing situation when the actual cost of power
generation and transmission is about 13 paisa (Rs.0.13) per unit from
Tarbela, but the govt. is charging consumers about Rs 3.60 to Rs 8.
-Some huge reserves of 22 billion tons of superior quality coal were
discovered in Desert of Thar in Sindh, which could be used for power
generation but WAPDA has taken no serious steps to utilize those coal
reserves of Thar for power generation, to make KB Dam look
indispensable.
-A number of sites exist where small hydel projects can be undertaken to
generate additional energy which is said to be the major purpose of the
KB .
-It is estimated that 30 to 40 per cent of the water released for
irrigation is lost on account of seepage through the bed of the network
of canals and channels. By lining the canals and the water courses the
irrigation authorities can immediately prevent this substantial loss. If
the farming practices which not only waste water but also reduce yields
would be corrected, this will generate extra water resources for
irrigation and at the same time will save the soil from water-logging.
The construction of Kalabagh Dam may offer prospects of lucrative
kickbacks for our rulers and may bring some land under cultivation in
Punjab but only at the cost of inundation and displacement in NWFP,
ecological and environmental disaster in Indus basin and at the cost of
destruction & desertification of green and fertile lands of Sindh and .
Ultimately there will not only be a net loss of food production in
Pakistan but many areas of Sindh will even be deprived of drinking
water. Let us not make the decision which may injure national unity
beyond repair. -------*-------
Ayaz Latif Palijo
Addr: B-48, Prince Town, (QA), Hyderabad, Sindh,
Pakistan. Phone: 92 - 221 - 651947, 651725
Email : ayazl@paknet3.ptc.pk
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com