Creation of Indus Valley Authority for Permanent solution to Power and Water issues

Power shortage has crippled the country. Pakistan will never come out easily of this cobweb. Therefore, there is dire need to build multipurpose dams to generate hydropower and to store water on the Indus for irrigated agriculture on permanent basis to produce food as well as control floods. Similarly, water shortage and water wastage would create famine.

 There is therefore need to create Indus Valley Authority (IVA) to build dams and barrages on the Indus to create 45 maf of water storage, produce 40,000 MW of hydropower, and control floods similar to the Tennessee Valley Authority. The Indus Valley Authority would build dams to stop silt flow that reduces storage capacity of reservoirs. Tarbela Reservoir alone has lost 5 maf of storage water. Dams function as effective watershed management infrastructure to control silt.

 The unique, 35 maf  Katzarah Dam on the Indus would control silt at its source in the Skardu valley that has highly erodible soil and is the source of silt in the Indus water. Indus is the only multipurpose “life support river” in Pakistan where a number of mega dams can be built. Katzarah is the King of Dams with a lifespan of 1000 years.

Shortage of hydropower and water besides flood havoc are self created due to negligence, as no dam is built after Tarbela in 1974. The Power and Water issues are catastrophic and State collapsing with great backlog. Floods have devastated the country. Provincial Water Dispute is the result of non-implementation of the Water Accord. The reasons for ignoring dams are lack of planning and no future vision from any corner since 1974. No one has taken notice that about 50 maf of water is being lost in the 150 years old, obsolete, incompatible and highly wasteful canal irrigation system.

It is alarming to note that Tarbela Reservoir has silted up by 5.0 maf (11.6.-6.7). Mangla by 1.21 maf, and Chashma by 0.55 maf. The total reduction in storage comes to 6.6 maf. Reduced storage capacity reduces hydropower generation capability. Against the loss of 6.6 maf storage, the live storage of Basha, is 6.0 maf on its completion probably in 2018-19. This means the replenishment of lost storage would not be met even on completion of Basha, as by then more storage would be lost to silting. The current historic floods must have deposited a lot of silt in Tarbela Reservoir. Therefore, there is need to build Katzarah dam that has 35 maf storage capacity and 10,000 to 15,000 MW of power and would act as watershed management dam.

The current power shortage ranged between 4000 to 5000 to 6000 MW that is horrific. Basha’s installed power generation capacity would be 4500 MW. Against this, we need to generate additional 25000 MW of firm hydropower by the year 2020. All these vividly show that power, water, floods and silting issues are serious but are neglected. Therefore, we must plan to meet the future needs when population would be doubled. This needs the creation of IVA to build dams to develop water and power on the Indus the only river where dams can be built.

Out of six or seven major rivers, Pakistan mainly depends on the Indus River where multipurpose water storage dams can be built to generate cheap hydropower, and store water for irrigated-agriculture  to produce food.

It is the responsibility of State to produce the basic necessity of life such as food under article 38(d) of the Constitution. The State did not bother to develop water and power for the past 36 years that created crippling load shedding. Similarly, there would be deadly food shortage due to lack of water in the very near future that would cause hunger and famine.

It is unfortunate that after Basha Dam, all the downstream dam sites on the Indus are less attractive than the one above. These dam sites are at Dassu, Bungi, Thakot, Pattan etc. All these dam sites including Basha are subjected to rapid silting. Bash’s life is estimated, about 80 years. This shows silting is equally dangerous problem that needs effective solution. So far, no one has thought to handle the serious problem of preventing rapid silting of reservoirs. In 36 years, we have lost 6.6 maf of storage. Katzarah Dam is a life saving gift of God, having a 1000 years of life span.

The current dispute between Sindh and Punjab is only due to shortage of water. Water Accord distributed 117.35 maf of water. Against this, the canal system presently receives about 90 to 95 maf of water during the keen demand period. Out of this, huge amount of water is stolen on the way.

The Indus basin irrigation system can never depend on run-of the-river, as it requires the support of huge storage to meet crop water needs as and when required during the keen demand period. Indus River has highly erratic flow. It needs storage for regulation.

WAPDA categorically committed to submit the feasibility report of unique, multipurpose Katzarah Dam before the Parliamentary Committee headed by Nisar Memon by September 2005. There seems to be a conspiracy as WAPDA avoids to build the 35 maf multipurpose Katzarah Dam capable of generating 10,000 to 15,000 MW of power and prevent silt flow.   

Katzarah Dam site is extremely narrow, about 250 to 300 feet wide at the bed level. I discovered Katzarah Dam site in 1962, and confirmed by Dr Pieter Lieftnick head of the World Bank Team in 1968.

It is baffling that in spite of the issues of power, water, rapid silting, sever floods (besides serious water issues with India) faced by Pakistan, WAPDA did not inform the Prime Minister of the availability of the 35 maf unique dam site at Katzarah on the Indus 20 miles downstream of Skardu. Katzarah multipurpose dam if built would solve all the four crippling issues. An Urdu Newspaper “Khabarein” published in August 2000 that China has offered to build this dam. China again offered to generate hydropower on the Indus.   

Besides solving huge problems of Power, Water, and floods, Katzarah Dam will function as Watershed Management dam to prevent silting of downstream reservoirs. It will stop silt flow in the Indus water from the world’s highly erodible soil of Skardu valley – the source of silt. The unique quality of Katzarah Dam will increase the life of Basha Dam from 80 years to 800 years. It will increase life of Tarbela Reservoir by about 60 years. Katzarah Dam’s storage is six times the storage of Basha Dam.

I therefore propose to create “Indus Valley Authority” to build dams on the Indus where possible and barrages on run-of-the-river to generate at least 40,000 MW of hydropower and create storage capacity of about 40 maf on the Indus with in 10 to 15 years. Katzarah will stop silt flow by submerging highly erodible area in Skardu valley. We have yet to face more super floods due to global warming. The population of Skardu should be settled as China did it for Three Gorges Dam. They can be settled along the periphery of the huge Lake.

A short-term relief by a low-dam-cum-barrage on the Indus

An immediate short-term relief to energy and water problems is to build a multipurpose hydraulic structure comprising of low dam-cum-barrage on run-of-the-Indus River in the Indus valley about 4 to 5 mile on the upstream of the confluence of the Indus and Soan River from the site of Kalabagh Dam. The high barrage a new concept, would generate about 2000 to 4500 MW of hydropower, store about 2.5 maf of water to be repeatedly filled two or three times during the year due to its unique location where about 80 to 90 maf of water passes. The storage reservoir created would be confined to the Indus River Valley. It therefore involves no land acquisition, no land compensation and no controversy. The high barrage storage, would act as “balancing reservoir” for Tarbela and Basha Dams when more power generation is required without losing irrigation water. It is a far better replacement of the controversial Kalabagh Dam that created 36 years status quo. Moreover, Project Consultants Kalabagh do not agree with the faulty hydraulic design imposed by the client under the wrong TOR given by WAPDA. The new proposal  can be built with in three years.

USA has recently promised to make transformational investment in Pakistan and stated that it would go to its absolute limit to help Pakistan overcome the energy and water issues.  Pakistan’s energy and water problems cannot be solved without building mega dams on the Indus. The US Aid Policy for mega dams shall have to be relaxed for Pakistan as a measure of dire necessity.

 USA has suggested cosmetic aid of installing 10,000 tube wells and lining of the obsolete canal system as solution to water issue. I totally disagree. Tube wells and lining of obsolete canals will create many serious problems. It is not the solution to water issues. The obsolete canal system needs modernization to save wastage. Let USA modernize the canal irrigation system by water management to save huge wastage of water and help build Katzarah Dam if it wants to help Pakistan..

Pakistan has already about one million small tube wells that pump about 50 maf of the saline and saline-sodic drainage groundwater effluent (seepage from canal system). Fertile lands are invisibly and gradually destroyed in Punjab by water from tube wells, turning it saline and saline-sodic to various degrees. If lands in the Indus basin are lost to salinity, then there would no use of water for irrigation.

We need sub-surface tile drainage to control salinity that is missing. We need efficient development of surface water by water management to avoid wastage of about 50 maf of water. We need to modernize the obsolete, 150 years old canal irrigation system that carry 105 maf of water in its obsolete system where 50 maf of water is lost in seepage and as system wastage due to incompatibility with agricultural crop water needs and obsoleteness.

Another 16 maf water is lost between Chashma to Kotri due to theft. IRSA recently reports that 50,000 cusecs of water is stolen between Chashma to Kotri. This shows failure of Government supervision. Moreover, failure to implement Water Accord has created water disputes as its paras 2, 4, 6, and 14(e) are not implemented as required under para 13 of the Water Accord.

The Indus River needs channelization and building at least 4 or 6 barrages to store water and generate hydropower. Channelization will reclaim millions of acres of land. All the required improvement are possible by undertaking Integrated Comprehensive Water Management if implemented as per its technical definition.

The load shedding would continue for decades if IVA is not created.  Do not wait to face food shortage in the near future in the form of famine. Therefore, we must solve the issues of energy, water, saline lands, saline groundwater drainage effluent, silting, floods and food issues through the creation of Indus Valley Authority.

 Short-term measures of rented power plants are no solution, rather it creates status quo like on Kalabagh Dam. The economic loss is in billions of dollars each year. The Government should announce “energy and water policy” to pacify the infuriating people by announcing the creation of the “Indus Valley Authority” with headquarter at Islamabad for building multipurpose dams to create storage and produce hydropower beside help mitigate climate change due to global warming.

India is violating IWT as it has built dozens of storage dams on all the six rivers and on their tributaries. India has built 475 feet high Baglihar Dam and is building 827 feet high Barsar Dam on Chinab River. India has created 15 maf of dead storage and 15 maf of live storage in occupied Kashmir so far and is adding more and more. Government should take notice of it as Rabi and early Kharif crops in Pakistan would suffer severely.