LAHORE, May 21: Speakers at a debate here on Monday called for early construction of Kalabagh Dam and described the water reservoir as a must for Pakistan’s survival.

They said poverty and hunger would be country’s fate if the government failed to take practical steps on the dam.

The debate was arranged by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Shamsul Mulk, LCCI president Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, Punjab Board of Investment and Trade vice-chairman Dr Miftah Ismail, former LCCI president Tariq Hameed, Pakistan Engineers Forum representative Ghalib Atta, LCCI senior vice-president Kashif Younis, former provincial minister Mumtaz Khan Manais, Salman Najib and former LCCI senior vice-president Sohail Lashari gave their input on the issue.

Shamsul Mulk said all those opposing Kalabagh Dam were enemies of the country, as they were playing with its future. He said government’s silence on the dam was causing the country a loss of Rs132 billion annually. “The dam will not be a threat to Nowshehra because the city is 150 foot above the water level. Decision makers in this country have nothing to lose, as they continue to enjoy all perks and privileges. There is no electricity, but politicians and top bureaucrats are getting it free of cost,” he said.

He said the dam would not benefit Punjab alone, it would help eradicate poverty from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa by irrigating 800,000 acre cultivable land located 100-150 feet above the River Indus level. He said this land could be made cultivable by raising the river level and it was only possible if Kalabagh Dam was built. He said the other alternative was to pump river water to this land, but it would cost farmers Rs5,000 per acre. On the other hand, availability of canal water after construction of Kalabagh Dam would cost farmers Rs400 per acre per year.

“Data shows that 146 million acre foot water is available in the River Indus every year on average,” he said.

Sheikh said further delay in evolving consensus on the dam would cost the country and its coming generations dearly. He said stakeholders should show maturity on Kalabagh Dam issue. He said unlike Pakistan India was building dams at every possible site. “It has left us decades behind and the future does not promise anything good either,” he added.

“According to a conservative estimate, about 30 million acre foot water is being wasted into the sea because of absence of big water reservoirs. An opinion gained widespread support that recent floods in Pakistan that caused more than $45 billion could have been averted if big dams were in place,” he said.

He said Kalabagh Dam would guarantee sufficient and cheap electricity. He said thermal power cost Rs16 per unit, whereas hydel power cost Rs2.5 to Rs3 per unit. He said presently oil worth $12 billion was being imported every year.

Lashari presented a joint resolution on Kalabagh Dam that was unanimously passed by the house. The resolution called for early construction of the dam in the larger national interest.