Wasted water

How many people know that the water stored in dams and barrages comes from the melting of glaciers in the northern regions of Pakistan and India? How many are aware that while the US has dams with the capacity to store water for up to 900 days and India has the capacity for 200 days, Pakistan has a mere 30 days capacity? How many know that the storage capacity of our dams is being reduced due to silt?

How many know that more than 35 million acre-feet of water on average flows into the sea without being utilized? The lack of storage capacity leads to poor flood control, resulting in loss of life, damage to homes, agricultural crops, livestock, roads, and bridges due to flooding. We have wasted 30 years by not building the Kalabagh Dam. It is hoped that our politicians will come together and agree to construct the Kalabagh Dam before we suffer further losses.

Syed Hussein El-Edroos

Islamabad