Dr. Hassan Abbas, Chairman ZIZAK responds ‘why not’. It is possible only if we revert back to nature.
He talks about the management of aquifer which has never been taken seriously in Pakistan.
The people need to understand the benefits of aquifer management rather than building dams as the former takes lesser time and also stores more water. An engineering and financial model of aquifer management should be made. This will defeat ‘Dams Business Model’ in the country, he says.
How would your model create its space in a country where dams lobby is strong and have a political clout?
Scientific knowledge and best practices in the world are ought to put a dent in the psyche prevalent in Pakistan and it is possible only after the people come to know that there is an alternative to the storage and preservation of water other than building dams. Because we have never taken a modern water management initiative and still practicing 1930s and 1940 methods. The world has changed over the last century and thus water management models have also been transformed. There is a need for spreading awareness for bringing about a change in the country and media has to play its part and reach out the people about the alternative.
Moreover, dams’ projects cost billions of rupees and involve huge business interests in comparison to aquifer management which is implemented all over the country and in a cluster of smaller projects at lower tiers. In huge projects, commissions are involved and few people get benefitted from dams business whereas in aquifer management projects the people who get benefits are not that wealthy. This is a people-centric project and is in the best interest of the people as well as the country.
In Sindh, almost everyone talks about the devastation in the deltaic area like you do but many experts call for a replacement of Tarbella Dam for Rabi crops also. Why is there such a difference on dam issue?
As far as the delta is concerned, they may have observed devastation there but I guess they might not have personally seen alternate solutions. I have an advantage of being a visitor of many such projects around the world. I have visited many counties, both developed and the developing, over the last quarter of a century and have observed such alternate solutions and thus recommend what is in the best interest of this country.
Of the irrigation supplies in Rabi, only 30 percent of the total water quantity supplements from the dams; the rest 60-70 percent comes from normal river flows. The overall contribution is not more than 10 percent per annum. It means you are making such huge investment in dams just for 30 percent water. We must see economics. What we should do is to restore the wetlands all along the river. In monsoon, the river will spillover and the water will be absorbed in the wetlands which will be used later. So the natural system of the rivers should be restored rather than building dams which stop the rivers from the spillovers. The wetlands would provide 30-40 percent of the water that you get from the dams.
It means Sindh needs not any replacement dam?
You built Tarbella and Mangla dams, both dams silted up and now you need new dams which would be silt up within 30-40 years. Therefore, we require doing sustainable projects which should be knitted with the natural systems of the rivers. New dams would just solve current issues; what we need is to think of future generations.
Is the quantity of water resources in our rivers depleting in real terms or is there another factor behind such claims?
This is nothing new! Fear has been used to get approvals for huge projects in Pakistan. It is an old tactic. Now the people are being frightened that Pakistan would be water scare country by 2025. In 1990, it was claimed that the whole of Punjab and half of Sindh would be deserted if Kalabag Dam was not built by 2010. What happened in 2010? Nothing! Now same fear factor is being used and you will see no change in water resources in 2025. The same fear factor was also used while the Indus Basin Treaty was being negotiated.
Is climate change a reality?
Yes, it is a huge concern. It is a reality but projections about our regions say the quality of water here would increase. Rawalpindi-Islamabad rainfall data (1900-2018) talks about a slight increase in precipitation along with a 1-degree rise in temperature in the region. More temperatures would result in more rains. Yes, the climate has changed our older patterns. Timings are affected and one cannot say about it in exact terms. Therefore, we need to prepare ourselves to address the changes.
