In 1960 three eastern tributaries of Indus system, Sutlej, Beas and Ravi were surrendered to India with right to control flow into Pakistan under Indus Water Basin Treaty. It is generally considered to be a poorly negotiated agreement. Under the agreement three western tributaries Indus, Jhelum and Chenab remained with us. India agreed to pay UKP62.06Million as compensation for construction of canal structure and headworks in ten equal annual installments.
Indus system water originates from Himalayan mountains, via Himachel Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir before it enters Punjab and Sind and finally flows into Arabian Sea. It is because of this that Quaid considered Kashmir as the jugular vein of Pakistan and stressed upon its importance. There was 10-year grace period over which Pakistan was required to build the necessary infrastructure essential for its agricultural economy, but this unfortunately was not accomplished as per schedule. In 1962 the sole golden opportunity after 1948 to liberate IOK as suggested by China, during the Sino Indian conflict was lost by Ayub junta, who instead chose to heed advice of the US and UK.
India built several dams and has the right under IWT to release water downstream of three Eastern rivers under its control, to prevent damage in East Punjab etc. Unfortunately, the powerful real estate mafia of this country, with support of powerful quarters and politicians, have been facilitated to take over green agricultural open spaces in the flow of river water path. As long as this insatiable greed of a few dominates, and open spaces are converted into concrete jungles, the water that was to be soaked by grounds and replenish the underground water reserves, will create havoc to the surroundings.
Conversion of these open spaces, involves chopping down hundreds of thousands of trees, fruit orchards, and agriculture yields which will further erode an already fragile economy and the environment. We are pursuing a suicidal self-destructive obsession of the elite for real estate profiteering, where the black economy is parked. There is no rocket science involved in this. One such scheme is Ravi River Urban Development project in the vicinity of Shahdara, which was conceived, but shelved many times, but finally the land was forcibly acquired and construction began from 2020 onwards.
Even the land on usually dry Ravi, river bed, has fallen prey to insatiable of land developers. Almost every visible open space in Lahore, including vast land allocated to Walton Airport, has fallen prey. Thousands of acres of green agriculture land have been converted to palatial farm houses and marriage halls etc. Whenever India releases excess water, during monsoon season, these concrete constructions, pose a threat to human lives, animals and industries etc. Every government, that has been at helm, is responsible for the massive losses that citizens will suffer.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
Email: [email protected]
