Daily Times

While the national attention is riveted on other issues a government department is silently ushering in a revolution in a field that is of existential concern to all and sundry. WAPDA’s current frays into water development with the requisite dynamism and celerity betoken a spirit which once made it a premier national development organization. They say getting things done in the Pakistani development arena, infested with bureaucratic landmines and execution lassitude, is an Herculean task. Considering the lemming like proclivity of our past development planners to parch us to deat, the present water reservoir development efforts are nothing short of a development revolution. WAPDA’s announcement of Sind Barrage project, to ameliorate the water woes of Sind especially in the sea intrusion affected areas near Kotri deserves rich plaudits. The project showcases the effusive exuberance of planners and the sagacity of the approving authorities in according priority to real national problems.

After the successful inauguration of Mohmand Dam few months ago, the announcement of the Sind Barrage 45 kilometers downstream of Thatta, promises to alleviate the sea intrusion problem that afflicts around 90 kilometers long stretch due to 40-50 kilometers of regular sea ingress. The fallow land and the dying flora of the Indus delta impact adversely upon the hapless Sind population, eking out a bare subsistence in the deltaic region. The inland sea intrusion which is a diurnal phenomenon is divesting the deltaic terrain of the much needed mangrove cover besides rendering over 90 kilometers of deltaic stretch from Sea-Indus confluence devoid of sweet water. The concomitant desertification has already consumed 170,000 hectares of mangrove land forcing 80% of the 5 million people living near the river banks to migrate to urban areas.

The Indus River which is the 15th largest river in the world had its place amongst the 12 rivers with the largest flow in the world but has slowly been losing flow due to sea intrusion. Since millennia the glacial runoff from the Himalayas fed the mighty Indus and its tributaries, keeping the invading Arabian Sea at bay. The Indus basin that boasts one of the largest man made irrigation networks catering to the irrigation needs of an arid region has been a victim of precipitate flows and water shortages during rainless months. The climate change phenomenon that has resulted in rise in sea levels in the past few decades has sedulously contributed to the sea intrusion in the river delta turning thousands of fertile agriculture land into desert. Keti Bandar once a thriving port and commercial center has had to relocate thrice in the last century due to this implacable sea intrusion.

The denizens of the coastal areas and the river delta inhabitants have relied on agriculture and fishing as their livelihood. Over 90% of the Keti Bandar inhabitants are the fishermen who have become salt water fishermen due to dwindling fresh water catch. The project whose pre-feasibility study has just been concluded promises to resolve the problem of fresh water flow downstream Kotri, which as per 1991 Water Accord is supposed to be 10 million acre feet throughout the year besides reviving the depleting mangroves. According to a study done by the Asian Development Bank the climate change resulting in rise in sea level might result in future storm surges, inundation of wetlands and coastal delta sand increase in salinity. Now without harnessing the unbridled potential of the mother nature in the shape of big dams it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure 10 million maf flow below Kotri throughout the year. The ideal big reservoir that could have ensured that was Kalabagh Dam which has been in limbo due to lack of political consensus.

Water reservoir development, the much neglected sector of our national development is finally getting the attention it deserves and the fact that the fruition of such projects transcends the normal tenure of an elected government redounds to the credit of a government whose sights are finally set on national gains and not the time bound electoral horizons

Amidst all this doom and gloom it is heartening to see that all is not quiet on the water front and that there is one organization that has taken time by the forelock in planning and executing the new water reservoirs. The Sind Barrage project that is conceived by WAPDA is located at a distance of 120 kilometers from Karachi and promises to counter the twin menaces of sweet water shortage and sea intrusion, besides helping Karachi with its water problems by providing 100 million gallons daily. The Weir or Barrage would block and raise the water which was being frittered away through desultory flows. A 174 kilometers long lake which is touted as one of the largest lakes of Asia is expected to come about as a result of the project. The upstream end would be Hyderabad and the tail end would be 20 kilometers downstream of Kotri. The fresh water lake would qualitatively improve the marine life and agriculture as irrigation channels could also be taken out of it to irrigate approximately100000 acres of fallow land.

The Sind Barrage Project promises to save 75000 acres of the flood affected land through a storage capacity of 2-3 maf making use of 4.1 maf water which was earlier wasted. The project’s symbiosis with the climate mitigation and ecological uplift of the area promises to attract the climate concerned international financial institutions. With a planned economic return of 25% and a short payback period of 4-5 years the project enjoys a high economic viability index. With the conceptual study of the project already completed the formal feasibility study is expected to be completed by December 2020 at a cost of Rs 320 million, after which the project could start after detailed engineering design by December 2022 with a completion date of December 2024.

They say all revolutions do not make noise, some let their success make all the noise. Water reservoir development, the much neglected sector of our national development is finally getting the attention it deserves and the fact that the fruition of such projects transcends the normal tenure of an elected government redounds to the credit of a government whose sights are finally set on national gains and not the time bound electoral horizons. Pakistan has suffered a lot due to a policy hiatus and lack of water vision in the past. The mere fact that several authors on water issues like Sunil Amrith, the author of “Unruly Waters”, have averred that the water scarcity could be the single most reason for conflict in South Asia should highlight the value of water resource planning. According to a report “Hindu Kush-Himalaya-Assessment” without reduction in current carbon emissions, the Himalayan glacial melts would increase by two thirds resulting in drying up of Pakistan’s rivers for most part of the year from the year 2050-2060 onwards. Considering above the Sind Barrage Project has not come a day later.

The writer is a PhD scholar at NUST