The only way out for scarcity of water is the desalination of the sea water. Extensive research is being done in finding the cheaper methods of desalination. Various methods have been developed, one which is very promising is the called as AQUAVUS (using ultrasonic resonance technique).
A dam will take 10 years plus to complete, while desalination plants will take no more than 3 years to build.
Why are dams preferred compared to desalination? A very short and simple answer is water flow. Water flowing from northern Pakistan due to gravity will cross the length of Pakistan and help everyone along the way without being asked to.
1. It will provide water flow for power generation.
2. It will provide drinking water.
3. It will provide irrigation water.
Desalinated water on the other hand can only be procured from the coastal cities, and its not feasible for anyone other than those living in the coastal cities. or nearby.
1. Transporting desalinated water to Thar or nothern Sindh will require constantly operating mega motors. Where does the power come from?
2. Using this water for irrigation is meaningless. Its just not gonna be enough.
3. It cannot produce electricity.
Water sustains life. By using large reservoirs, we can also reinstate a lot of the currently non-arable land.
But I think the bottom-line problem is that this is a long term project.....directed at our future generations. This is the basic difference between PTI and PMLN. PTI has focused on long term projects.....something that worked for them in KPK. PMLN has always focused on short term, visible stuff, which worked for them so long as PTI wasnt in the picture. Now people in Punjab also seem to have accepted that short term projects dont give them the kind of dividends they are promised.