LAHORE: Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) Monday urged the government to allocate adequate funds in the Federal Budget 2016-17 for construction of big reservoirs to generate cheap and sufficient electricity as well as avert the threat of food security.
The LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad said here that water shortage was one of the biggest reasons of electricity shortage at the one hand while raising food security challenges on the other.
He said that policy corridors would have to understand that economic growth lies in construction of water reservoirs which are a cheap source of electricity.
The government would have to create consensus for the early construction of water reservoirs.
Sheikh Muhammad Arshad said that rising population graph could give birth to severe food security challenges in near future therefore "We have to build Kalabagh Dam at any cost as it will bring huge part of land under cultivation which is currently lying barren due to lack of water."
He said that it is a matter of concern that almost 9 million hectors of fertile land is not being cultivated due to unavailability of water.
He said Pakistan needs grow to feed its population and only solution of this challenge is mega dams.
He suggested the governments not to take any pressure on new dams including the KBD, asserting that being an agrarian economy, Pakistan cannot afford to waste huge amount of water resources which are depleting fast.
Shortage of water has not only caused undue damage to the agriculture sector but also the manufacturing sector.
The LCCI President said that nation couldn't waste any more time therefore the government should pave way for early construction of the KBD which was the only solution of water and electricity shortage.
He said, "Our economy is based on agriculture sector which cannot survive without sufficient water resources. "We are already suffering and further delay in the construction of the dam will hit us hard."
He said that it is a good omen that some political elements have started realizing the importance of this mega project that would certainly pave way for its early construction.
An opinion gained widespread support across the country that the losses of recent floods in Pakistan which are estimated to be billion dollars could have been reduced if big dams and water reservoirs were in place, he added.
The LCCI President termed the KBD as the most suitable project for the national economy as it would not only produce cheap and sufficient electricity but also avert the devastation caused by the floods, besides alleviating poverty and hunger.
The dam, he added, would not beneficial for Punjab alone but also more helpful in erasing poverty from Khyber Pakhtun Khawa as it would irrigate 800,000 acres of cultivable land that is located 100-150 feet above the Indus River level in the province.
He said the civil society would also have to play its role in creating a consensus as new water reservoirs would benefit every Pakistani.
He cited that unlike Pakistan, India is constructing dams at every possible site.
The LCCI President said that every one knows that the existing dams are constantly silting up leaving ever decreasing capacity to store water.
He said that another significant aspect connected with the construction of Kalabagh Dam is the surety of sufficient amount of electricity at comparatively much cheaper price.
Electricity generation through thermal sources is estimated to cost almost Rs. 16 per unit whereas the same can be produced at Rs. 2.5 to Rs. 3 through Hydel, he maintained.
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