I was talking to one of the very reasonable insafi behen ji Rtabasum about the reason why we need dams and I gave her my point of view. Than I thought I should share it with others too. I will make it as short and as simple as possible. But the topic needs little deliberation.
Total area of Pakistan is 796,100 sq km. out of which arable land (including all Indus basin and other rivers) is 27300 sq km. This makes only 27% of the total land. Total agricultural land on Pakistan is 46%, so rest of 19% depends on rains for irrigation. 54% of the Pakistan land is not cultivatable. Minus urban areas, this 54% land is not cultivatable because there is no water in this area. Therefore, if we manage the water through reservoirs/dams, it will benefit only 27% of Pakistan. That means, this will not benefit 73% of the land at all.
Now let us see why we need dams.
Global warming is not a myth, It is an established reality. Due to this the rate of melting of our glaciers in Himalayas is drastically increasing. An estimate shows that we will lose 70 to 90% of these glaciers by 2100. This increasing melting rate is going to increase the flow rates in our rivers. The 27% of our arable land is the food basket for whole nation. Most of this land will be hit by increasing floods every year. As a result we will loose one to two cultivation seasons in these lands. So we need dams to regulate this over flow of the rivers in future --- not to fight the scarcity of the water. 2nd benefit off course is cheap electricity.
Now the question of depleting drinkable water. It is also a valid problem. But there are alternate and very fast achievable solutions. 97% of the water on earth is in oceans. So who the hell says we are running out of water. No world is not worried about dying of thirst. World is more worried about drowning in the rising oceans. What about the countries who don’t have any rivers, how will they build dams. If dam is the only way out.
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.
So my dear Insafi bothers and sisters if some one tells you that we need dams to drink water he is lying to you. Whether he is your Monkey Chief Justice or he is your beloved Wazeer-Azam Imran Khan. Whether they are lying to you deliberately or they don’t know ----- That is a different question.
I never touched this topic when Monkey was custodian of this slogan. It was never his job so I damn cared about him
But Now your beloved Wazeer-Azam Imran Khan is telling you this also. So I thought it is my responsibility to let you know that please please please help him build the dams. Help him build the dams to regulate the overflow in our rivers and save our cultivatable lands ----- not to save water for drinking.
Having said that. I am 110% in favor of IKs drive for the dam fund. But my Nakis Raaey is that IK did this to free up the monkey CJ and encourage him to do the job he is supposed to do. Also IK needs immediate dollars inflow to fight depletion of foreign reserves not the depletion of water reserves. You will never see the dam from this money until at least 10 years.
Below are some links to show the facts I have mentioned above.
http://en.worldstat.info/Asia/Pakistan/Land
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...area-will-disappear-with-climate-change-study
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/aquavus-ultrasound-desalination-and-purification#/
Total area of Pakistan is 796,100 sq km. out of which arable land (including all Indus basin and other rivers) is 27300 sq km. This makes only 27% of the total land. Total agricultural land on Pakistan is 46%, so rest of 19% depends on rains for irrigation. 54% of the Pakistan land is not cultivatable. Minus urban areas, this 54% land is not cultivatable because there is no water in this area. Therefore, if we manage the water through reservoirs/dams, it will benefit only 27% of Pakistan. That means, this will not benefit 73% of the land at all.
Now let us see why we need dams.
Global warming is not a myth, It is an established reality. Due to this the rate of melting of our glaciers in Himalayas is drastically increasing. An estimate shows that we will lose 70 to 90% of these glaciers by 2100. This increasing melting rate is going to increase the flow rates in our rivers. The 27% of our arable land is the food basket for whole nation. Most of this land will be hit by increasing floods every year. As a result we will loose one to two cultivation seasons in these lands. So we need dams to regulate this over flow of the rivers in future --- not to fight the scarcity of the water. 2nd benefit off course is cheap electricity.
Now the question of depleting drinkable water. It is also a valid problem. But there are alternate and very fast achievable solutions. 97% of the water on earth is in oceans. So who the hell says we are running out of water. No world is not worried about dying of thirst. World is more worried about drowning in the rising oceans. What about the countries who don’t have any rivers, how will they build dams. If dam is the only way out.
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.
So my dear Insafi bothers and sisters if some one tells you that we need dams to drink water he is lying to you. Whether he is your Monkey Chief Justice or he is your beloved Wazeer-Azam Imran Khan. Whether they are lying to you deliberately or they don’t know ----- That is a different question.
I never touched this topic when Monkey was custodian of this slogan. It was never his job so I damn cared about him
But Now your beloved Wazeer-Azam Imran Khan is telling you this also. So I thought it is my responsibility to let you know that please please please help him build the dams. Help him build the dams to regulate the overflow in our rivers and save our cultivatable lands ----- not to save water for drinking.
Having said that. I am 110% in favor of IKs drive for the dam fund. But my Nakis Raaey is that IK did this to free up the monkey CJ and encourage him to do the job he is supposed to do. Also IK needs immediate dollars inflow to fight depletion of foreign reserves not the depletion of water reserves. You will never see the dam from this money until at least 10 years.
Below are some links to show the facts I have mentioned above.
http://en.worldstat.info/Asia/Pakistan/Land
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...area-will-disappear-with-climate-change-study
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/aquavus-ultrasound-desalination-and-purification#/