AS floods wreak havoc across Pakistan, triggering widespread displacement, destruction of homes and devastating economic loss, members of National Assembly on Monday, cutting across political lines, demonstrated rare consensus on an issue that strikes at the very heart of our national survival: water management through dam construction.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and PTI lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan both underscored the urgent need for a national policy and immediate action on water reservoirs. Khawaja Asif went so far as to term the recent flooding in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a “man-made disaster”—an indictment of decades of encroachment on riverbeds, poor urban planning and a shocking disregard for ecological balance. His comments rightly highlighted that this is not just a natural calamity but a crisis worsened by human negligence and political complacency. The irony is stark. Pakistan, once lauded for its early infrastructure feats such as Tarbela and Mangla dams—both built under military regimes—has since struggled to replicate such national-scale achievements under democratic governments. The construction of dams became politically controversial. Where there was no controversy, there was often complete inaction or bureaucratic inertia. As a result, we are now ranked among the most water-stressed countries in the world, while also suffering from annual flood devastation. This is not a technical issue. It is a political failure. The unity seen on the floor of the house must now translate into tangible, immediate action. Speeches are not sandbags; consensus is not concrete. The country cannot afford any more delays. Work on ongoing projects such as the Mohmand and Diamer-Bhasha dams must be accelerated. At the same time, new dams—both large and small—must be initiated without further dithering. If the construction of these life-saving projects requires borrowing from international lenders, then so be it. The price of inaction is far higher than the price of debt. Moreover, the prioritization of dam construction must eclipse any other infrastructure project in the country. Roads, flyovers and metros may offer temporary political mileage, but they cannot protect us from floods, nor secure our dwindling water resources. This is not about prestige—it is about survival. The call for strengthening local governments, as emphasized by Khawaja Asif, is also critical. It is at the grassroots level where disaster preparedness and response must begin. The world community must come forward with concrete financial and technical assistance to help Pakistan build climate-resilient infrastructure.
