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The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) told the Senate Forum for Policy Research on Thursday that Pakistan dumps water worth approximately $21 billion into the sea each year due to a lack of water conservation systems.
In a meeting of the forum, chaired by Nayyar Husain Bukhari, members of Irsa and the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) made shocking revelations while briefing attendees about Pakistan's lack of water conservation systems and water distribution to provinces.
"The country needs three Mangla-sized dams to conserve the amount of water that goes to sea each year," Irsa members told the meeting while informing them that Pakistan faces a 36 per cent shortage in its water requirements at the moment.
If no water reservoirs are made, the country faces an extreme water shortage in the coming years, Irsa members said as they endorsed the long-overdue creation of the Kalabagh Dam.
Pakistan can only store up to 30 days' worth of water, while India can store up to 320 days' worth, Irsa members informed the meeting while stressing upon the need for more reservoirs in the country.
"Kalabagh dam can be completed in five years," a PCRWR member said, but told officials that the Akhoori Dam can also be developed as an alternative to Kalabagh.
"Do not talk about the Kalabagh Dam after three provinces have voted against it; discuss alternative plans with us," said Jahanzeb Jamaldini.
The inflow of rivers Indus, Chenab, Kabul and Jehlum has dropped and as a result, this year's crop may be severely affected, Irsa members informed the meeting.
Water levels in Islamabad are falling by one metre each year and six metres in Balochistan, Irsa officials warned the officials. PCRWR members warned that out of 43 lakes in Pakistan, the levels of 26 have dropped drastically in the past few years, while the country remains without a National Water Policy.
To top it all off, the country's population is on the rise at an alarming rate which is also adding to its water woes, PCRWR told the meeting.
"Shortage is a common problem; the question is what are we doing to deal with it," the meeting's chair responded.
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On DawnNews
Nov 02, 2017 03:22pm
Our Government needs to focus and prioritize water conservation. In coming years, there may be severe shortage of water if appropriate steps are not taken. Dams building should be our priority and we can't afford any delay...
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Nov 02, 2017 03:28pm
what a shame.. a nuclear power does not have a clue how to store water. I wont be surprised if water is privatized and run by chinese.
In islamabad the price of one water tanker is 1500 rupees.
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Nov 02, 2017 03:34pm
dangerous nonsense yet again when the greedy and ignorant give advice. free the rivers before the sea eats us up
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Nov 02, 2017 03:35pm
Is it possible for the three provincial assemblies which rejected the building of the Kalabagh Dam to revisit the possibility of its building against warranties that their share of water will be given to them for the coming times. It is imperative that they reconsider their early decision on the matter. It is equally important that the upper riparian through whose land the flow of water will first pass, gives unequivocal guarantees to the lower riparians that under no circumstances will their share of the water be curtailed or cut inspite of any loss occurring to the upper riparian for any reason whatsoever.
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Nov 02, 2017 03:36pm
Millions of acre feet surface runoff water in Baluchistan during the rainy season can be stored, having good alluvial soil Baluchistan could become food basket of whole Central Asia but no they are only interested to increase irrigation lands of ruler province only.
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Nov 02, 2017 03:38pm
Build reservoirs and forbid tube wellstation.
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Nov 02, 2017 03:41pm
Kala Bagh, Needs to be revisted AND maybe Intll Experts be Inducted in,
to understand the Three provinces objections. Whther these objections are Political in Nature,
and If REAL how to over come their reservations.
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Nov 02, 2017 03:44pm
its quite quick they know it
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Nov 02, 2017 03:44pm
@aly Ercelan what an advice sir from where you have got this marvellous idea that uncontrolled rivers are the key of progress. Hats off sir. Please suggest some way to meet the needs of drinking water for exploding population and then water needed to feed them ?
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Nov 02, 2017 03:49pm
@RF Building or reservoirs will automatically improve the ground water levels which are depleting fast
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Nov 02, 2017 03:49pm
Dear Fellow Pakistanis...plz keep on multiplying! You'll outnumber everything and everyone on planet earth...then you'll win. Good Luck to You
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Nov 02, 2017 04:05pm
I don’t understand how IRSA calculate these numbers, this year they even could fill Mangla Dam, besides to save the eco system they have to release water at the tail end of Indus River, the lands of district Badin and Thatta have already been in the sea, which used to be very fertile.
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Nov 02, 2017 04:13pm
CPEC investment $62 billion.
Mangla Dam construction cost $1.5 billion.
3 more similar dams needed I.e., $4.5 billion.
Can friends spare some change that will directly benefit not just people but many generations to come
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Nov 02, 2017 04:17pm
All our reservoirs have water levels falling! Why do we need dams for? Right! Something is not right here. And, by the way, are we really dumping water in the sea?
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Nov 02, 2017 04:28pm
Surprised to know from where does water enter into sea? Does water fly directly from sky to sea? I have been travelling round the year by crossing River Indus at Jamshoro, Kotri, and Hyderabad bypass but did not notice ample water passing through the bridge towards sea.
IRSA need to record a movie as an evidence and air it on media so that public should know the facts. I am sure movie will show sand instead of water flowing to sea from River Indus.
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Nov 02, 2017 04:30pm
It is the same philosophy at work for 'maya'/money and water. Both are dumped outside Pakistan depriving Pakistanis to benefit from both. That is ss only b/c incompetent, irresponsible, ignorant and self centered install themselves to rule almost all levels of corrupt governance. 'Don't talk of Kalabagh...'. Why not? Is Kalabagh not in Pakistan? Is water shortage not a national issue? Genuine leadership breaks regionalism in favor of nationalism. Where are such leaders? NRO-seekers and family-centric corrupt only unite on money laundering, looting and stealing 'maya. Can any country, nation or society, survive like this? Well, it is a question of priorities. English colonizers, for their own interests, built railway and canal networks and educational institutions to train manpower to manage on their behalf. What have we done except destroy every fabric of peaceful social order and existence, starting with education. No wonder where we are heading? Wasted in the sea of chaos like water.
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Nov 02, 2017 04:34pm
@Hina Malik
In Karachi its 5000!
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Nov 02, 2017 04:37pm
Delhi is yet very far away
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Nov 02, 2017 04:48pm
Pakistan dumps water worth approximately $21 billion into the sea each year which could have produced crops and allied products worth at least $ 2.1 trillion, if sensibly used with storage regulations.
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Nov 02, 2017 04:59pm
@Public have you seen the same points during flooding ? Then record that movie as well. Respected sir Dams are to store the water when it is abundant and use them when it is needed.
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Nov 02, 2017 05:02pm
@Amir They could not fill Mangla dam as they have to empty it to dead level for crop irrigation as there is no else dam. As far as your concern about tail and Thatha and Badin are concerned this situation would further worsen when all depends on nature then either it would be sea eroding the lands when there would be shortage of water in the river of floods playing the havoc. No river even Nile does not have abundant water throughout the years and dams are constructed for the very same purpose to store the water when abundant and use it when it is short
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Nov 02, 2017 05:08pm
@M.Saeed - Let’s celebrate and then forget.
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Nov 02, 2017 05:22pm
Does it mean Pakistan can sell that water and make $21 billion? That is the exact amount needed this year to repay loans with interest.
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Nov 02, 2017 05:43pm
So what, we develop our politicians bank accounts instead with more then 21 B USD. Proud to be pakistan? Show it.
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Nov 02, 2017 06:14pm
How the figure of $21 billion was arrived at.
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Nov 02, 2017 06:22pm
The best solution right now is to construct Kala Bagh Dam
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Nov 02, 2017 07:26pm
We must make dam
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Nov 02, 2017 08:28pm
@M.Saeed yes sensible use. Stop growing rice,sugarcane and cotton in deserts. All water guzzlers. 85 sugar Mills ,all given to political party supporters.
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Nov 02, 2017 11:35pm
What about the service stations who are wasting drinking water in washing our dirty cars.......there must be a policy on these service stations, to force them to install recycling plants rather than using fresh drinking ground water.
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Nov 03, 2017 12:16am
@Hina Malik... We pay 5 times that for good quality in Karachi.
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Nov 03, 2017 03:07am
If we have utilized that water we would have built one CPEC every two year with our own money
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Nov 03, 2017 05:06am
Storage of water is a risky task requiring lot of technicalities and technicians as compared to storage of wealth and riches in bank account at home and abroad!
So, it is better to avoid risk and risky ventures!
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Nov 03, 2017 06:59am
Blocking more than 1/3 flow of river water into the sea is bad for the river ecosystem and at the delta end of it causes the sea to intrude into the land. Case in point what is happening in Badin where the Indus water flows into the ocean. Hundreds of thousands of acres of arable land in Badin has been lost to intrusion of sea water due to blocking of fresh river water flowing into the Badin delta system.
The main problem is wastage of water by agriculture that uses 90% of water and uses much more water per acre than is used in other countries. This point has been detailed by experts in other columns and articles in this newspaper. River water is being over used and so is ground water and that is causing the ground water table to go down as it is not being replenished at the rate it is being taken out. This will also damage the underground water aquifiers. Same is happening in places like California too.
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Nov 03, 2017 07:39am
Well dear Isra personnel, our current government has no time to work on this issue at this time. Plus all these politicians have and can afford good clean water for their families.
Raise this water issue next year.
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Nov 04, 2017 03:42am
It's too late I believe. We have wasted too much time. Dams should have been made much earlier. Jihil qoum should understand the importance of Kalabagh else we truely deserve what we are going through.
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Nov 04, 2017 11:05am
KBD is life and death for Pakistan. Its design is complete and ready for tender on short notice since 1984. Provincial bias has to be avoided and Pakistan' s interests have to be preferred over any other interest. Political leaders on Provincial and Federal levels are responsible for this criminal delay and unsurmountable loss to our country's economy. They should get a wakeup call now and start construction of the dam.
M Akbar Khan
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