Water and Power Destructive Authority

Water and Power development Authority turned Water and Power Destructive Authority. This is because the Water and Power Destructive Authority has showered rain of miseries on 180 million people of Pakistan due to its inefficiency, incapability, stubbornness, lack of initiative and deep involvement in politics of “Kalabagh Dam or no Dam”. Besides this, it failed to warn Government in time, and failed to foresee water and power requirements of the growing population. The whole country is on fire due to 18 to 20 hours of crippling load shedding (never heard before). Moreover, it failed to control floods and silt. Police shot two people dead while demonstrating against load shedding.

The development of water and power for agriculture, industries and business, means prosperity and peace in Pakistan. If this is not provided, un-ending terrorism will prevail and spread, as terrorism will become lucrative source of living. People due to poverty are selling their children and committing suicide. Therefore develop water and power resources at once as article 38 of the constitution requires. 

For no dams on the Indus in a period 47 years, about 22 per cent of Pakistan most fertile and populated area destroyed by the historic and destructive floods of 2010 and by the devastating rains of 2011, destroying Sindh due to disappearance of the natural drainage system by unchecked encroachments. Sindh has become the drainage bowl where flood and rain water stagnates for years. Sindh must demand dams on the main Indus to control floods. The infeasible and superseded Akhori Dam proposed by WAPDA as substitute for Kalabagh is not the solution. Go for direct reservoirs on the main Indus to control floods and silt, and to generate hydropower and store water going waste to sea.

This year the alarming water shortage is 9.2 maf as reported by IRSA. Please see The News dated August 4, 2012.  This colossal shortage is very alarming as I fear the irrigation system may not become non-perennial or seasonal within the next 20 years if dams are not built immediately. The solution lies only in building the unique 35 maf Katzarah Dam and not the indirect and superseded Akhori Dam.

Severe load shedding caused rioting in every city of Pakistan. This is shameful. People have gone psychic. Business of all types suffered to the roots. Industries are closed. People have gone out of job. students, children, Doctors, house wives, tailors and all small technicians suffered heavily. Patient’s sickness lying in hospitals increased. Pakistan lost $3 billion in 3 years due to energy crisis reports the Daily Observer. These are the grounds for terrorism to continue.

Due to the absence of multipurpose Dams on the main Indus for the last 37 years and another 10 years for Basha to be completed, 47 years in all, Pakistan is destroyed economically and physically by floods of 2010, rains of 2011 and the unending crippling load shedding by the so-called Water and Power Development Authority. Over and above, water shortage reached to 9.2 maf. This will create food problem. Water and Power Destructive Authority was still stubbornly sticking to the motto of “Kalabagh Dam or no Dam” even after destroying the country economically and physically. No one worries. No one feels responsible. For all these miseries, WAPDA is responsible if water and power not developed and peace is not restored and source of living is not created.

I have given a unique substitute for Kalabagh Dam nearly at the very same location in the Indus River valley, with changed hydraulic design to evacuate silt. The substitute for KBD is the  “Raised Fateh barrage” but the destructive Authority wants nothing but Kalabagh Dam that has become part of DNA of WAPDA engineers. WAPDA has a problem of ego if someone gives good suggestions as they feel small after keeping hoards consultants and advisors.

The floods of 2010 dislocated about 8 million people of Sindh beside the people of Punjab, NWFP and Baluchistan. The 2010 floods caused 2856 breaches in the Indus Bunds and canal system. Floods damaged 2300 Km of roads. About 2000 people died in floods as there was no dam on the Indus. WAPDA forgets this terrible dislocation of population but cares most for the small dislocation of population by the unique, 35 maf Katzarah Dam which it opposes on the grounds of dislocation of population.

Now watch the headlines of the country’s top Daily Newspapers what the people say on water and power shortage:

·       Planning Commission warns of a Water crisis. (The News June 30, 2012)

·       Punjab power outages spark violent protests, as Electricity short fall rising to 8500 MW (Observer 18 June 2012 and the Daily Azkar).

·       Power riots turn violent in Punjab, 20 hours shortage (Observer June 19, 2012)

·       Disorder in Punjab, as riots rage. Train set on fire (Dawn June 19, 2012)

·       Power shortage to worsen in future. (The News (30.5.2012)

·       Pakistan lost $18 billion due to energy crisis in 3 years. (Observer August 1,2012)

·       105 maf water wasted last year. (Sept 22, 2011)

·       Dams vital to save Sindh from flooding. (The News)

·       Punjab foresees Rabi water crises. (Sept 29, 2011)

·       Energy crisis leading to destruction. Ansari. (Observer. August 2, 2012)

·       US Senate report cautions against Water War in South Asia. (Dawn, 22.6. 2011)

·       US Intelligence sees global water conflict risk rising.(News 28.3.2012)

·       Water War warning. (News 23.2.2012)

·       Water issue could sweep away Indo-Pakistan peace process.( News 25.4.2012)

·       Global famine if India Pakistan un-leash nukes: Study. (Dawn 25.4.2012 and Observer).

·       India to help Afghanistan build 12 dams on Kabul River. News (12.5. 2011)

·    How can peace be achieved when chances of nuclear water war is feared.

·    Forcible occupation of Kashmir by India is the potential source of nuclear water war as all Pakistani Rivers originate from Kashmir. India has built more than 32 hydraulic structures on Pakistani Rivers, including big dams, reports Senator John Kerry to US Senate: The excerpt is “India has acquired the ability to store enough water to limit the supply of water to Pakistan at critical moment in the growing season”. Senator John Kerry reports to US Senate fearing water war between India and Pakistan.

·    The whole problem is created by the wrong partition of India as the hydrologic unit from where Pakistani Rivers originate and the canal head works have gone to India. This is a great sore point, a potential source of conflict. UN must enforce the 62 years old referendum in occupied Kashmir to ensure peace in the region.

Water and Power Destructive Authority’s shameful mega projects failures brought to Government notice for action to avoid further losses in future

·       Kachi Canal alignment from Mithan Kot badly failed to irrigate lands due to wrong planning by WAPDA. It was abandoned on the quiet after causing loss of billions of rupees. Government took no action.

·       To control Salinity, evacuate injurious salts out of the area, reclaim land, and maintain salt and water balance in the soil, drainage project by the name of SCARP was prepared by WAPDA with a wrong concept of drainage through tube wells, ignoring the correct drainage through surface and sub-service tile drainage to evacuate and control salinity out of the area. This was planned because the Destructive Authority did not know the correct definition of drainage. This resulted in billions of losses in Dollars. This was also abandoned on the quiet.

·       Again, another mega drainage project was planned by the name of National Drainage Programme, NDP to control and evacuate salinity. This too failed resulting in billions of dollars losses.   

·       After the failure of the two mega drainage projects to control and evacuate salinity out of the area and after incurring losses in billions of Dollars, the Destructive Authority finally abandoned the drainage schemes, the vital component of irrigation as a bad job. WAPDA never knew the correct solutions to the salinity problem. The correct and established method to control and remove salinity out of the area is to provide sub-surface tile drainage and not the tube wells that circulate groundwater drainage effluent. The world’s largest irrigation system is now without drainage system. The Indus basin irrigation system is subjected to sever salinity and sodicity.

·       One million small tube wells installed in the Indus basin are pumping indiscriminately about 45 maf of injurious saline drainage effluent from the ground as groundwater, injecting about 350 million tons of salts in the soil. The one million small tube wells are functioning as anti-drainage system circulating salinity. The Indus basin will almost lose fertility gradually and invisibly in a period of about 40 years If sub-surface tile drainage is not provided as early as possible.

·       WAPDA run by hired persons and headed by non professional Chairman is ignorant, and helpless to handle these serious matters.

·       The dam site for Kalabagh Project at the end of the Indus River is absolutely wrong as it receives about 540 million tons of silt from a catchment area of 110500 squire miles. Converting this silt in maf, it comes to about 0.3 maf per annum. This will create terrible silt problem and backwater flow in Kabul River. Surprisingly, under a wrong and tailored TOR, WAPDA directed the project consultants to provide 50 days restricted mid-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure to evacuate silt that is not possible because of wrong design to evacuate silt. The consultants therefore suggested 100 day low-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure to evacuate silt.

·       WAPDA refused to adopt the consultants design. Besides this, Kalabagh became highly controversial politically as WAPDA officials created terror in Nowshera that floodwater level will rise by few feet and the houses will be inundated up to certain level. WAPDA marked the walls of the houses in Nowshera. Thus, the destructive authority created fear besides technical controversy and political controversy. This controversy is stretched to 37 years and counting Basha completion of 10 years to 47 years. There will be no dam on the Indus for 47 years. This means, problems of water and hydropower, problems of rapid silting and devastating floods will continue unabated. This has already resulted in floods of 2010, rains of 2011 and the unending crippling load shedding causing billions of $ losses. Water shortage this year has touched 9.2 maf, almost equal to the combined storage of Kalabagh and Basha Dams. While planning the Kalabagh dam at the end of the valley, the capacity-inflow ratio at the site was ignored that is the poorest in the world. This indicated the site is not suitable even for a short-lived dam.

·       Not only this, the destructive Authority has now proposed a rejected and superseded project of Akhori Dam. Akhori was rejected by Dr Pieter Lieftnick Head of the world Bank team with a height of 250 feet in 1968. The destructive Authority revised Akhori Project by raising its height from 250 feet to 420 feet. WAPDA avoids building a dam on the main Indus except Kalabagh. Therefore, the highly problematic and infeasible off-channel storage at Akhori is selected for the next dam after Tarbela, ignoring the main 35 maf storage dam at Katzarah. The present water shortage of 9.2 maf is ignored by WAPDA.

The IRSA Act indicates that the Chairman WAPDA is ex-officio Member IRSA with no power to vote. This shows the Chairman must be an irrigation expert, engineer to actively participate and contribute. Contrary to this, WAPDA Chairman is non-professional political man who never attends the meetings. Similarly, Member Water is always found disinterested and inert person. He too has never attended IRSA meetings. The so called Water and Power Development Authority is represented by a retired irrigation engineer appointed as consultant and Advisor.

The professional value of WAPDA confines to the knowledge of the retired engineers who are directed to follow the directions of the boss. WAPDA has no professional capability as retired engineers are appointed as Advisor and consultant to run the organization. The Authority created dark and doom-like conditions. This will prevail for about 20 years till multipurpose dams on the Indus and Punjkora River are built. At the same times, coal discovered in the country must be used to generate power. I foresee floods this year and in the coming years.

All previous Governments seem to be blind for not taking action on the failure of WAPDA for not preventing 2010 floods and 2011 rain losses besides other failures of mega projects. WAPDA simply stuck to “Kalabagh Dam or no dam”. These calamities and losses could easily be avoided if dams were built in time on the Indus River. I am surprised how these doubtful projects are approved by the ECNEC? The ECNEC also share responsibility. 

I recommend, WAPDA head quarter be shifted to Islamabad, like of IRSA, to jointly implement storage based Water Accord. IRSA has demanded 22 maf of storage. The infeasible Akhori is not capable to meet 22 maf of IRSA water requirements whereas, The 35 maf Katzarah alone meets this requirement. Please see my blog on Water issues and their solutions. (fatehuk.blogspot.com). My blog contains about 100 articles on water issues that is visited by about 8500 engineers and researchers throughout the world.

Engr Fateh ullah Khan Gandapur.                                                                 August 5, 2012

Former Chairman IRSA. B,Sc Engg: first Division. (Distinction in Dams and Reservoirs), M.ASCE (USA), FIE (Pak).  518,F/10-2, Margalla Road Islamabad. Mobile  0300-5920641,  051-2106387