Senators reject discussion on Kalabagh Dam as ‘dead issue’

ISLAMABAD: Senators from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP) on Monday strongly opposed any mention of the controversial Kalabagh Dam, declaring it a dead issue. They vowed to prevent the topic from being discussed in the Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources.

The debate heated up when committee member Senator Dr. Humayun Mohmand of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) asked the Secretary for Water Resources about the technical issues that had halted the dam’s construction. He argued for a reassessment of the project to bring clarity to its feasibility and benefits. Mohmand called for transparency regarding the dam, urging that scientific research on the project be made public. He questioned why there had been no recent discussions about the dam, suggesting the issue should be revisited to clarify its potential impact.

However, Senator Ponjo Bheel of the PPP firmly opposed including the Kalabagh Dam in the discussion, arguing that it was not on the meeting’s agenda. He expressed concerns about past injustices faced by Sindh and warned that discussing the dam would only worsen these grievances. “Sindh people are very emotional about this issue. We have been fighting over it for generations. Three provinces—Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan—have already passed resolutions against its construction,” Bheel said.

ANP Senator Hidayatullah Khan also objected, stating, “Kalabagh Dam is a dead issue. Why are people raising this issue again and again? Even dictators like Ziaul Haq and General Musharraf could not make it happen.” He urged the committee to refrain from discussing the dam further.

Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources Syed Ali Murtaza added that there is an engineering consensus that the dam is not worth building. The chairman of the committee, Senator Shahadat Awan, stated that discussions on the Kalabagh Dam would not be pursued further, as it remains a sensitive and divisive issue among Pakistan’s provinces.

Bheel also accused dacoits in the Katcha region of illegally selling water from Sindh. He expressed frustration over rampant water theft, which he said is devastating Sindh’s farmers. He criticized authorities for failing to address the issue and accused the federal government and other provinces of shirking responsibility.

Senator Faisal Saleem Rahman questioned the Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources about the necessity of pursuing water dams for energy when the country already has a substantial surplus power capacity. The Secretary replied, “It is true that there is a glut of power supply. However, since the government has already made investments in these dams, stopping the projects now could cause cost escalation.”

The Attabad Lake in Gilgit-Baltistan, formed by a major landslide in January 2010, was discussed. Additional Secretary Mehar Ali Shah announced that a 54 MW hydropower project is being developed at the lake.

Addressing water scarcity concerns, Secretary Murtaza stated that while the total water quantity in the country remains the same, the growing population is reducing per capita water availability.

When Senator Hidayatullah raised concerns about the possible breach of Attabad Lake, Shah assured that engineering studies indicate the lake is stable, though the potential for breach in any water reservoir cannot be entirely ruled out. He added that affected areas have been marked and the local population is being relocated, with alarm systems installed as a precaution. “It is a necessary risk. The possibility of the dam breaking cannot be ruled out because we cannot control nature,” said Shah.

Citing the example of Mangla Dam, Secretary Murtaza stated that it is designed to withstand floodwater of up to 2.2 million cusecs, with a probability of a major flood occurring once every 20,000 years. Notably, the Mangla Watershed, covering approximately 33,490 square kilometers, has experienced significant historical floods, particularly in 1928, 1929, 1958, and 1959. The 1929 flood was the most notable, with a peak discharge of 1.04 million cusecs.

The committee was informed by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) that 40 percent of Tarbela water reservoirs have been lost due to sedimentation. Almost the same issue is with other reservoirs.

Senator Humayun Mohmand asked about the status of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, which has been non-functional for months? Secretary Murtaza replied that a rock-burst incident had occurred, causing the sidewalls to collapse. He mentioned that the Prime Minister has formed an inquiry committee to investigate the matter.

Notably, Wapda on May 2, 2024 announced that the project valued over half a trillion rupees has been completely shut down for inspection. Since then, the project is closed. Wapda also briefed the committee on the Chashma Right Bank Canal project, estimated to cost Rs190 billion. This project was approved by the Council of Common Interests in 2017. The Additional Secretary for Water Resources noted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would bear 35 percent of the project cost, while the federal government would cover the remaining 65 percent.