Kalabagh dam is good for KP
From the Blog pakistanledger - Kalabagh dam is good for KP October 30th, 2010 Image via Wikipedia ' Kalabagh Dam matter of country's survival' Former WAPDA chairman lashes out at Western experts for terming large dams environmental disasters LAHORE: The Kalabagh Dam is not an issue for Punjab alone, but it is a matter of the country's survival, which is at stake due to the fast depleting water resources, former NWFP caretaker chief minister and former WAPDA chairman Shamsul Mulk said on Saturday. He urged the civil society to play its role to save Pakistan . He said this while addressing the 'Pakistan Bachao Seminar' jointly organised by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and Pakistan Engineers Forum (PEF). He said that the Kalabagh and Bhasha dams had been a part and parcel of the Indus Basin Treaty signed in the 60's. Mulk, a native of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), said that his province had suffered the most due to a delay in the construction of the Kalabagh Dam. He said when the recent floods hit Nowshera, the water level had risen to 961 feet. Had the Kalabagh Dam been in place, the maximum water level would only have been at 880 feet, which would have saved the city from the devastation caused by the floods, Mulk said. He lashed out at the dual standards adopted by Western experts on the environmental impact of large dams. He said the dams built in Colorado, US, had the capacity to store water for 900 days, but the experts had not termed them as an environmental disaster. The former chairman said the Kalabagh dam would have a capacity of storing water for only 20 days, which could not possibly be termed as an environmental nightmare. He said the dams in India had a storage capacity of 120 days and the Chinese dams could store water for 240 days. Mulk said that even after completion of the Bhasha Dam, KP would still be deprived of additional water because it would be 50 feet below Dera Ismail Khan where 800,000 acres of available agricultural land could not be irrigated economically. He said that to irrigate the land, water would have to be pumped at a very high price. Adding that water charges for canal irrigated land three years back had been Rs 400 per acre while the minimum charges for pumping water at the first stage at that time had been estimated at Rs 5,000 per acre and Rs 1,000 and Rs 15,000 per acre for higher levels. Mulk said the farmers would not be able to pay this high cost, which would eventually damage the federation. He said that if the Kalabagh Dam had been built, water would be available for an affordable price, because the water level would then be high enough to irrigate the farms. Mulk added that as an engineer involved in water projects for the last 40 years, he could guarantee that none of the areas of KP would be waterlogged after the construction of the Dam, because it was scientifically not possible for lands situated at a higher altitude to be waterlogged by water flowing at a lower level. Mulk termed the denial of the Kalabagh Dam to KP as the greatest betrayal of the leaders and rulers of Pakistan. "We have damaged our water availability more than what India has done by withholding the water of our rivers," he added. He said Pakistan had been bestowed with great hydel wealth. Adding that the country had the fifth largest water drainage system in the world. Most of the water is potable, which is a rare thing anywhere in the world. Mulk also said that Pakistan was one of the few countries in the world where farmers harvested 2 to 3 crops a year. . Read Full Post
Land reforms Bill a populist move for next elections
From the Blog pakistanledger - Land reforms Bill a populist move for next elections October 30th, 2010 Image via Wikipedia MQMs brilliant ‘ Land Reform ‘ strategy puts PPPP on backfoot. In a brilliant political move, the MQM has proposed land reforms. This places the PPPP in the ignominious position of defending the landowners. The Land Reform bill is a great clarion call which enables the MQM to give hope to the landless masses. Judging by its original reaction the PPPP has been cornered into rejecting the land reforms. So when the MQM goes out into the streets of Southern Punjab the slogans will be interestting to hear. An Urban party will be pitching land reforms while the PPPP will be defending its feudal interest. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has submitted the draft of new Land Reforms Bill at the secretariat of National Assembly today, report said on Tuesday. "The ownership of agriculture land should be limited to 36 acres and holding of rain-fed land should be limited to a maximum of 54 acres," the bill suggested. Land reforms have been proposed almost since the very beginning of Pakistan 's existence. The idea behind the reforms was that land holdings in Pakistan are highly concentrated in the hands of only a few families and in order to alleviate the gross income inequalities in the rural areas, the government should place a limit on how much land a single individual can own. MQM's leader Farooq Sattar and other MQM national assembly members and senators submitted the bill aimed at ending feudalism in Pakistan . 25 Assembly members and 5 senators were also present in NA secretariat at the time of submission. The bill will probably not be approved in the National Assembly, but it gives the MQM fodder to win votes. This strategy will be very important in the next elections, especially in Southn Punjab, where the MQM with its ally SQM is expected to make some inroads. . Read Full Post
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