Ignorance of water issues that has destroyed Pakistan’s economy and agriculture in the Indus Basin

There are more than one dozen serious water issues facing Pakistan today and delay in resolving them have not only destroyed Pakistan economy but has also seriously harmed the country’s irrigated agriculture thus contributing to the country’s poverty and loss of revenue. The resolution of these issues needs to take place immediately. This article discusses four important issues. These are the absence of management to control super floods that destroyed one-fifth of Pakistan most developed areas last year; the failure to construct water based power projects that has destroyed the country’s industry and lowered its export earnings, acute water shortages in the irrigation system that has adversely affected irrigated agriculture and caused food insecurity in one of the world’s largest irrigated system; a matter displaying gross incompetence and lastly the rapid silting of mega reservoirs like Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma that has caused the loss of 6.6 maf of gross storage capacity.

It is difficult to conceive how we could be so negligent about our water and power infrastructure on which Pakistan’s future and its people’s welfare depends? So far, none of the country’s multiple agencies entrusted with protecting the nation’s critical interests in these areas has been able to solve them. Based on my 50 years experience and being distinction  holder in Dams and Reservoir Engineering, I make the following suggestions to solve these four issues effectively so that Pakistan can prosper and not be a failed state.

First, I suggest an easy mid-term fast-track solution to the four issues. We will be able to build a “Raised Fateh Barrage” that is a low dam-cum barrage at the end of the Indus River valley. This concept is only feasible in a river valley and not in a plain. It will create about 3.0 maf storage that will be repeatedly filled since the Indus annual run-off at this site is 93 maf. The raised barrage will generate about 2000 MW to 6000 MW of hydropower on run-of-the-river with the support of 3.0 maf storage behind.

 The storage of 3.0 maf will be confined with in the Indus valley, short of Attock gorge. Therefore, it does not require land acquisition and land compensation. Secondly, it will not cause flooding or water-logging of Peshawar valley. There may be a possibility to irrigate Karak and Bannu areas by lifting Indus water from the lake created by the barrage. This needs investigations. The structure will function as Balancing Reservoir. This project will thus be acceptable to the KPK Province.

The work on this project can start immediately and completed with in three year’s time. The project will have an indefinite life span, as it is an unrestricted low-level sluicing structure. About 540 million tons of silt equivalent to about 0.3 maf annually pass at this point from a catchment area of 110500 squire miles.

This site is only feasible for a high barrage that is supported by a 100 feet low dam and building a conventional barrage on the crest of the dam. The dam is proposed to be built up to an elevation 800 feet with 50 feet to 60 feet high barrage built over the crest of the dam. The reservoir elevation at full supply would come to 850 or 860 feet. The unrestricted low level sluicing structure would give benefits of a multipurpose mega dam like Basha Dam, with additional benefits involving no cost of land. The barrage would retain about 3.0 maf of storage water. The reservoir will silt up to elevation 800, the crust of the dam, on the upstream, readjusting Indus River bed slope. The proposed structure would function as a balancing reservoir, and as water regulating and distributing infrastructure. The cost of the project would be about $3 billion. It will mitigate the four issues to some extent till mega dams are built upstream of this site at Katzarah and on its downstream.

          

The second part of the plan is to build the unique, multipurpose Katzarah Dam having 35 maf storage capacity that is six times the capacity of Basha Dam. It will generate up to 15,000 MW of hydropower if built to its full height. It will stop silt flow in the Indus water from the highly erosive soil of Skardu valley. The dam will perform the function of excellent Water shed Management infrastructure. It will increase the life of Basha Dam from 80 years to 800 years. Katzarah would function as replacement storage also to compensate for the loss of 6.6 maf of gross storage due to rapid silting of Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma reservoirs. Katzarah would provide also additional irrigation facilities to barren areas in the four provinces.

The third part of the plan is to control the flows of the Kabul River in Pakistan therefore dams will need to be built on its major tributaries, like Swat,  Panjkora and Chitral Rivers. There is an excellent dam site on Panjkora tributary having storage capacity of 8.5 maf, generate about 700 MW of hydropower and amazingly control 100% floods in Kabul River. The biggest advantage of Guroh Dop Dam is that it can store 4.0 maf of Chitral River floodwater by diversion through a tunnel releasing water in the catchment area near Chutiatan village, into the reservoir of Guroh Dop Dam. It is super project and it is a shame why it has not been developed so far. Munda about 7 miles on the downstream of Akhori is a single purpose power dam, selected for construction.

The other dangerous issues facing our agriculture is our inability to combat salinity and sodicity due to absence of surface and subsurface tile drainage system. And, our inability to modernize the wasteful, incompatible and obsolete canal irrigation system wasting about 45 to 50 maf of water. This needs Integrated Comprehensive Water Management. There is need for the adoption of water saving methods of sprinkle and drip irrigation. There is need for bringing higher lands under irrigation to meet food needs of the rapidly growing population.

These proposals will remove shortage of water, make available more water to implement paras 2, 4, 6, 7 and 14(e) of the Water Accord.

Internationally there is another threat regarding Pakistan’s water security. This is the water capture by India who build 33 dams in occupied Kashmir as reported by Senator John Kerry. This is an existentialist threat to Pakistan. It will cripple flows received by it, during the low supply period of growing Rabi and early Kharif crops. Chenab and Jehlum River will become seasonal as a result, and in violation of the IWT 1961. It is not known, why Pakistan’s water management remained inert on this matter for the last 40 years.

As far as Kalabagh Dam is concerned, it is politically and technically controversial. It needs technical study of what the feasibility report says regarding its hydraulic design controversy between the KBD consultants and WAPDA in the light of its bizarre TOR. The side-valley Akhori Dam has already been rejected by Dr Pieter Lieftnick in 1968 on many grounds, one of them is raising Tarbala Dam’s height by 15 feet that may not be possible. In short, inept management of Pakistan’s existing water resources is a criminal failure of an immense proportion. One wonders whether we are blinded as a curse from Allah!