Fate and geography have placed us at a location, where Pakistan has no control over timings and intensity of floods, nor about quantum of ice that melts from glaciers in our north seasonally, or due to climate change phenomenon.
The only control that we have is over the terrain, over which these floods will flow, whenever they occur, or about impact of forestation on climate change. Unfortunately, successive governments have been complicit, directly or indirectly, in allowing encroachments of land, that falls in flow of river path, including the river beds. Pakistan needs to evolve a long-term policy about water management and control impact of floods with iron clad structural changes, to dilute and prevent impact of floods. There should be no waivers, nor succumbing to pressure of powerful corridors, driven by greed for commercial profits, who over the years have been successful in encroaching on what are universally considered to be sterile zones, free of any concrete construction, along the river, or at the foot of mountains, from where glacier water gushes down.
Pakistan ranks 145th in terms of annual rainfall, yet it faces scourge of floods more frequently than countries like Colombo, which is poorer than Pakistan and receive more rainfall. Colombia has managed to control floods, with a developed water infrastructure.
They have invested in developing Water Infrastructure, utilizing services of expertise, instead of cronies or bureaucrats at helm, with no knowledge or background of the subject. We live in an era of specialization, where the best and most qualified, in the relevant field are required, instead of “jacks of all trades-masters of none” There is no dearth of qualified engineers, scientists and technicians in Pakistan. All that is needed is political will, to enforce merit-based appointments. Allowing individuals with split loyalties, who have on oath, pledged their loyalty to another state, was a recipe for disaster.
Pakistan, a country with agro-based economy, will continue to suffer from floods during monsoon season and droughts during dry periods. Infrastructure will be destroyed repeatedly, homes will be washed away and this cycle of devastation will continue. While rivers and glaciers are not within our control, management of terrain, falling in flow of water path, is within our administrative jurisdiction. Allowing Real Estate developers, or powerful individuals, within political elite or paid bureaucracy, to build hotels and resorts, in what should be a sterile zone, was a recipe for disaster. What we are facing is more of a man-made disaster, than a natural phenomenon.
In 1947 Pakistan inherited colonial built “Canal System”, which was very efficient. However, this system was designed to directly draw water from rivers. It had no water reservoir capability. After partition, the issue of upper riparian and lower riparian creeped in. It became very clear that Pakistan needed to compliment this “Canal System” with a reliable and robust “Water Management Infrastructure”, comprising of dams, water channels with capacity to store excess water and control its flow. The needs of Lower Riparian region in Sind should also be catered for. It is an unfortunate reality that we have a Hindu Supremacist political party at helm in India, whose ill-will towards this country is very blatantly expressed and exhibited by them. Water is being used as a weapon, despite the IWBT signed between them in 1960, and international guarantees by World Bank etc.
Former Chairman WAPDA, Engineer Shamsul Mulk, was perhaps amongst few men of unquestionable integrity and professional competence to hold this office. The less said about likes of Zahid Ali Akbar and others like him, the better. Shamsul Mulk’s analysis was based on geographical realities, that Pakistan being a lower riparian state receives water flow from its neighboring upper riparian region. Even in the instance, where Pakistan experiences limited rainfall, heavy rains in upstream regions, beyond our borders, will lead to flooding in our country. Pakistan has no control over this flow of excess water.
The Indus River, is one of the largest rivers in the world. It carries water from both China and Kabul River. Tarbela Dam is already been built on it, but other dams like Diamer- Bhasha and KD are critical projects, needed to enhance water storage and aid in flood management. China has built over 98,000 dams and reservoirs, while India has over 5334 dams and another 447 are under construction.
The USA has over 90,000 dams. It is an established fact, that Dams serve as water reservoirs and minimize damage by floods inflicted on humans, crops, animals and aid in harvesting season when there is shortage of water. These Dams are most economical source for generation of power, apart from being more eco-friendly compared to thermal power generation.
Pakistan must construct major dams like D-B, KB (whatever name it be called) Kurram Tangi, Fountain Stream Kotri and several other small, to medium size, water reservoirs. Given the terrain in Baluchistan the focus should be to build “sand dams” to absorb and store floodwater, and water-channels to direct flow to adjacent dams and eventually reaching the sea to replenish coastal areas.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
