Climate Change Mitigation measures through water development

The development of Water resources  are inextricably linked with climate, therefore, water is the base to create greenery and forests to absorb carbon and release oxygen. Climate change greatly affects glacier-melt and monsoon rains. Water is not only used to mitigate climate change, but is direly necessary to produce food. Therefore, water management and flood control is of dire necessity to help mitigate climate change. Storage dams to conserve water in monsoon period and the generation of hydropower are the basic inputs to create greenery and grow artificial forests. Cheap hydropower is needed to use small pumps by lifting water to higher barren areas for afforestation besides the tube wells.

Growing forests on mountain ranges near the lakes

 To mitigate climate change water should be lifted from Tarbela Lake (96 km long) to grow forest on the adjoining mountain range on the left & right of the Tarbela Lake. This is applicable to Mangla Dam and to the newly proposed ”Raised Fateh beverage or dam-cum-barrage” at the end of the Indus River Valley that will create a 93 miles long lake. Mountain range on both sides of the lake can be afforested. Forest can be grown in Kachi areas along the Indus River banks, from Chashma barrage to the end of the last barrage in Sindh.

Integrated Comprehensive Water Management

Integrated Comprehensive Water Management of the 150 years old, highly wasteful, incompatible and  obsolete canal irrigation system may be carried out according to the technical definition of Water Management. This will save about 45 to 50 maf of water that is wasted in the canal irrigation system. This amount is equal to 8 times the storage of Basha Dam or Kalabagh Dam. Moreover, sprinkler and Drip irrigation methods of water-use be adopted. This will irrigate more than twice  the area irrigated by the 150 years old method of flood irrigation under Wara Bandi System. There is dire need to build the 35 maf Katzarah Dam on the Indus River that will produce 15000 MW of hydropower, irrigate the entire Kachi plain in Baluchistan by gravity flow from Chashma barrage. The unique benefit of Katzarah dam is that it will stop silt flow in the Indus River water, as Skardu valley, that has highly erodible soil in the world, would be submerged. This will increase  the life of Basha Dam from 80 to 90 years  to about 800 years. More over, it will control 100% floods in the Indus River. Beside this,  build the 8.5 maf Guroh Dop Dam on Panjkora River. This will control floods in Kabul River. It will conserve floodwater to create greenery and grow trees in the area.

RAIN WATER HARVESTING

 
Rain harvesting measure is yet another step to mitigate climate change. Small check dams on all nullahs be constructed to arrest rainwater and supplement groundwater for installing tube walls to create greenery. Rainwater can be collected in small ponds. This will help grow trees  around it.
Law may be promulgated that each farmer holding a specific amount of land, must grow trees specially Shisham trees along the boundary of his land being evergreen and valuable.

 
IRSA TO IMPLEMENT WATER ACCORD

 
IRSA may be directed to implement Water Accord paras 2, 4, 6, 7, and 14 (e), to create at least 20 maf of storage. These paras are not implemented for the past 20 years. WAPDA has not built any dam after Tarbela in 1974 that is 36 years ago. Basha will take 10 years to complete. This means Pakistan has not built any dam for the past (36+10) 46 years. The 2010 floods can be repeated several times due to climate change. During 2010 floods about 70 maf of water was wasted to sea as there were no dams to conserve floodwater for irrigation use and for growing forest.

Violation of Indus Waters Treaty

India has violated the IWT by building 36 dams in occupied Kashmir & is building more on Chenab, Jehlum and the Indus  Rivers allocated to Pakistan. Under the Treaty, India is allowed to create 4.19 maf of storage water. Contrary to this, India has build dozens of dams in occupied Kashmir. It has created 10 maf of Dead Storage and about 30 maf of Live Storage on Chenab, Jehlum and Indus Rivers.  Therefore , there will be no water to grow Rabi crop and early Kharif crop as these rivers will be dry in winter when water is most required. The water is diverted to Rajisthan by India.

India has proposed to build 12 dams in Afghanistan on Kabul River and on its tributaries. Chitral River is 190 miles long tributary of Kabul River located in Pakistan. Chitral River when crosses Pakistan-Afghanistan boundary is called Kunard River. A dam is proposed on Chitral River at Mir Khani. Its water can be diverted through a tunnel to the catchments area of Panjkora River in Dir near Chutiatan village for storage in the 8.5 maf Guroh Dop reservoir.

Possibilities of glacial recharge

The technical possibilities of artificial glacial recharge to improve water quantity and quality is to build dams and create greenery and grow trees. The use of water spread over large areas would cause evaporation, cloud formation. This may supplement glacial formation.

Make Water development compulsory under the Constitution

 
Make provision in the constitution to build dams and carry out integrated comprehensive water management within a specified time to mitigate climate change and implement Article 38 (a)(b)(c)(d) of Constitution for the welfare of the people as well as to produce food. This Article provides basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief, employment and earn livelihood. It provides welfare of the people that also include the mitigation of climate change.

Creation of Hydro Power
Enhancing capacity for the country’s hydrological system and river flow observation is of dire necessity for the planning of dams and barrages all over the country. Flood control is of dire necessity as it will protect cultivated green areas as well as avoid huge waste of water that is needed for irrigated agriculture and afforestation.

Channelization of the Indus River

After building dams, the Indus River may be channelized. Presently, the Indus river bed is as wide as 14 miles from Chashma to the last barrage in Sindh, a distance of about 600 miles as roughly estimated. Huge lands on both banks of the Indus River will be reclaimed where forest can be raised. An area of about 600 miles long and 12 miles wide can be afforested. Trees and shrubs should be grown on the boundary of all canal roads, highways and Motorways.

Silt control measures to enhance life of dams on the Indus

Para 6.11 The only effective method to enhance the life of Tarbela Reservoir is to build Katzarah Dam on the Indus. Tarbela Reservoir has lost its gross storage capacity by about 5.0  maf in 36 years. This is because the Indus River carry heavy sediment load. The source of silt in the Indus River water is the highly erodible soil of Skardu valley. The 35-maf Katzarah Dam if built would submerge one of the highly erodible soil in the world in Skardu valley.
The life of Basha Dam estimated by the consultants is 80- 90 years. If Katzarah Dam is built the life of Basha Dam will increase from 80-90 years to about 800 years. The life of Tarbela will increase by 50 to 60 years.

Regarding Mangla Dam, Watershed Management shall have to be taken to stop soil erosion by planting trees besides building check dams. #####

Sites for multi-purpose mega dams

6.12  The following are the new potential multi- purpose dam sites.

 Katzarah Dam.

Katzarah Dam is the backbone of Pakistan irrigated agriculture, flood control, afforestation, silt control with a vast reservoir to mitigate climate change. The unique 35 maf Katzarah dam on the Indus is located about 20 miles on the down stream of Skardu town. This dam will generate 15000 MW of Hydropower. It will stop silt flow in the Indus River water thus increasing the life of all dams on the downstream of Skardu valley. The estimated life of Bash Dam is 80-90 years. After Katzarah Dam it will increase to about 800 years. Katzarah Dam will irrigate the entire Kachi plain of Balochistan by gravity flow canal from Chashma barrage, passing through the town of Sibi and onward. It will turn vast barren areas into green fields & artificial forests can be raised. It will control 100% floods in the Indus river.

Guroh Dop Dam on Panjkora River

 
There is another excellent dam site on Panjkora River at Guroh Dop having storage capacity of 8.5 maf with power generation of about 700 MW. It will irrigate 32000 acres of barren land. Guroh Dop Dam will control 100% floods in Kabul River.
Excellent feature of Guroh Dop Dam is that Chitral River floodwater can be diverted through a tunnel into the catchment area of Guroh Dop Dam for storage. For this purpose, Mirkhani Dam shall have to be built. This will produce more power and irrigate more lands.

Basha Dam must be expedited as we have already lost 6.6 maf storage due to silting of Tarbela and Mangla dams & Chashma barrage.

Creation of Indus Valley Authority

It is proposed to create Indus valley Authority to build series of Dams on the Indus and on the tributaries of Kabul river. This will be similar to the Tennessee Valley Authority. WAPDA has completely failed to build dams on the Indus and elsewhere. No dam has been built in 46 years on the Indus after Tarbela in 1974.   

Gomal Zam Dam on Gomal River

Gomal Dam’s Khajuri Katch site was discovered and initiated by Engr Fateh Ullah Khan in 1959 is not so far completed even in 2011. The delay is criminal. This dam will irrigate 163000 acres of barren lands by flood irrigation method. If it is irrigated by sprinkler and Drip irrigation methods, it will cover double the area. This project will help mitigate climate change.

   

Water storage needed.

The total water storage need for irrigation is about 60 maf. The storage need to implement Water Aaccord of 1991 para 2, is 12.35 maf. The water need of para 7, is 10 maf. The water need of paras 4, 6 and 14(e) are not specified. Water Accord alone needs about 22.0 maf of water. The 6.6 maf of water lost to silting requires replenishment. If Integrated comprehensive water management is to be implemented as required by para 14(e) of the Water Accord, about 40 maf of water would be saved. This water also requires storage. All this means that we need to create storage dams wherever feasible to store about 60 maf. These dams would be multipurpose that would also generate huge hydropower.

Modernization of the obsolete canal irrigation system

 
The existing canal irrigation system in the Indus basin is the largest contiguous system in the world. It has now become more than 150 years old. It is highly wasteful as it wastes about 50% water that enter the system. This system has now become incompatible with the crop water requirement pattern. The whole system has become obsolete. It therefore needs modernization and up-gradation to meet crop water requirements as and when required in proper dozes as per the consumptive use of crops.

6.3        Hill torrents development

There are the following hill torrents in D.I.Khan & Tank Districts.

Gomal Zam is the most notorious of all hill torrents. Gomal Dam is build recently. Moreover, Tank zam, Daraban Zam, Sheikh Haider Zam and Choudhwan zam  are to be built. These need taming to store floodwater and also generate some power for the local area.

The plain of D.I.Khan is all barren. This can be irrigated from these hill torrents after controlling them. Forest can also be grown.  A law should be passed to turn some areas into forests. Gomal zam dam is ready. It will irrigate 164000 aces of land by flooding method. If it is irrigated by sprinkler and Drip irrigation, will irrigate 300,000 acres of land. These hill torrents after storing their water will help mitigate climate change.

Probable reason for 2010 floods

Pakistan is one of the worst victims of climate changes having left with only 4.08 percent forest land. This is much below the international standard of 25 percent of the total area while India has 21% forests of the available land resources. Low forest area may be the reason for 2010 floods that was specific to Pakistan and the neighboring countries were not affected, as they have more forest areas. Pakistan’s forest area is hardly 2.8 percent that is negligible and therefore it is the target for climate change attack of flooding, high temperature, droughts, earthquakes, and all other symptoms. The negligible forest is fast disappearing due to many reasons. Therefore, flood of 2010 severity may hit Pakistan any time, and many times.    

Fuel wood makes forest disappear

 
It is unfortunate that Pakistan is not importing gas from the adjoining countries. The result is that in rural areas young trees are cut to use as fuel wood for cooking and heating purposes. The practice will further reduce the percentage of forests. Moreover timber mafia is playing hell with the forest. This needs to be banned under the law.

Economic condition of Pakistan

 
The economic condition of Pakistan is precarious. It cannot afford to implement schemes as proposed for climate change mitigation. Therefore, international help is needed. It will be a great tragedy if Pakistan is hit again and repeatedly by 2010 flood intensity.