Pakistan: Letter of Protest on Kalabagh Dam
Talpur
Dear Colleagues:
We invite you to join us in urging Pakistani Government, WCD and
International Donors to shelve out the environmentally disastrous Hydro
power Dam Kalabagh and to promote fundamental human rights and
sustainable development in Indus Basin by protecting the indigenous
people from this controversial project in their region. One simple,
concrete action you can take in solidarity with the people of Indus
valley: Please sign, post and forward / distribute to any and all
individuals and groups that support environment, ecology, democracy and
Human Rights.
TEXT OF THE LETTER
To,
The President of Pakistan, Mr. Rafik Tarar
The Chief Executive of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf
The President World Commission of Dams (WCD), Dr. Kader Asmal
CC.
Mr Omar Asghar Khan
Mr. Javed Jabbar
All concerned Donors
International Rivers Network (IRN)
Dear Sir,
We are deeply concerned with the intentions of Federal Government of
Pakistan and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) regarding
proposed construction of controversial mega hydropower dam at Kalabagh.
It appears that in spite of rejection of the Kalabagh Dam Project by
the environmental and irrigation experts and by the people of three out
of four provinces (Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan) of Pakistan through their
duly elected Provincial Assemblies, your government and Ministry of
Water and Power are planning to start with this environmentally and
ecologically disastrous project. You know that during the last 15 years
Sindh and NWFP (Pakhtunkhwa) and Balochistan Provinces have been
erupting in protest and millions of people have come to streets in
different cities and towns raising slogans against this disastrous
decision. Six complete general strikes have taken place, an Anti-
Kalabagh Dam Front (AKDF) and PONM (Pakistan Oppressed Nations
Movement) have been formed and different political, social, religious
and environmental organizations have started protest marches, hunger
strikes and demonstrations.
Sir, The area of present-day Sindh province was the center of the
ancient Indus Valley / Mohen-jo-daro Civilization (2300 BC-1750 BC), it
was named after Indus, the great Trans-Himalayan river of South Asia
and one of the world's longest rivers, with a length of 2,900 km.
Therefore the threat to Indus valley and Indus river is a threat to the
ancient Indus / Mohen-jo-daro Civilization.
The proposed Kalabagh dam will not only store 6.7 MAF water of Indus
but 12.8 MAF water will be diverted to left bank and right bank canals
for the irrigation in Mianwali, Khushab, Jhelum and Dera Ismail Khan
districts. Therefore the KB dam will be consuming 19.5 MAF water of
Indus and the quantity of 10 MAF which has been provisionally earmarked
for out flow to sea under the provisions of Water Accord of 1991, will
not be available after storage at Kalabagh dam. There is already a deep
distrust created between Sindh and Punjab on the two irrigation links.
Chashma-Jhelum link (21000 cusecs) and Taunsa-Panjnad link (12000
cusecs) have been kept open for the last several years without prior
consent and permission of the Sindh provincial government in flagrant
violation of the inter-provincial agreement. Due to their past
malpractice's and breaches of trust people of Sindh do not trust WAPDA
and Punjab irrigation department. People believe that the aim of Punjab
regarding building a dam is to keep a life and death grip on the life
line of Sindh, in this way the ruthless and unscrupulous ruling
coteries would be able to control the very existence of four crore (40
million) Sindhis. As far as the environmental and ecological aspects
and threats are concerned the shortage of water for out flow to sea has
already caused reduction in the volume of silt. Indus River once
brought down 600 million tones of silt out of which half reached the
sea and half fertilized the alluvial plain. Today, just 36 million
tones pass the upstream barrages and dams. The Indus delta was spread
over in 350 sq. km before the partition, it also had more than nine
perennial streams, now it has only two perennial streams and covers
just about 25 sq. km. This reduction has resulted in the erosion and
degradation of the delta, elimination of 0.6 million acres of riverine
forests and destruction of mangrove forest area, which has reduced from
263,000 hectares in 1977 to 158,500 hectares in 1990. From aquatic
conservation point of view the famous Palla fish, Bulahan (Indus
dolphin), Khagga (Sea cat) and other aquatic species have become nearly
extinct due to water shortage. The annual production of Palla has been
reduced from 5000 tons to just 500 tons. Further reduction of fresh
water flows below Kotri will be a disaster for the common people &
fishermen (Munhanas) who depend upon agriculture and fisheries in
coastal Sindh.
Sir, Indus River plays a vital role in the formation of psyche, society
and culture of the Sindhi people. The construction of the dam is likely
to keep Indus below Sukkur dry most of the year. Many fishermen living
on the Indus will become homeless and the Indus that is the Darya Shah
(living legend) for Sindhis will be polluted and reduced from once
mighty river to mere expanse of shallow water. This is equal to the
cultural invasion and devastation of the thousands year old cultural
heritage of Sindhi people. Kalabagh Dam will be a grave threat to the
fertile Peshawar valley and thousands of acres of NWFP's most fertile
agricultural land will be destroyed. According to govt.'s own figures a
total of 35,000 acres of land will be inundated/submerged by the Dam,
out of which 3,000 acres are irrigated while 27,000 acres are barani.
As a result of rise of water level due to pounding up at Kalabagh, the
water level in Kabul river will rise due to back water effect, thus
posing serious threat to the Nowshera (a city of about 200,000 people)
which will be fully waterlogged within few years. Water quality will be
polluted by salinity due to nearness of Khewra and Kohat salt
formations. As the KB Dam will cause the displacement of 250,000
people, there will be an issue of implementing compensation and
resettlement of the thousands of men, women, and children who will lose
houses and lands submerged by KB. The province of Balochistan has been
irrigating about 300,000 acres with the supply from Pat feeder of Guddu
(a barrage of Indus), which will be affected by the shortage of water.
The destruction of wildlife/bird sanctuaries, riverine forests and
natural lakes like Manchar, Kinjhar, Hadero, Haleji and Chotiari will
affect biodiversity, specially the migratory birds of Siberia and
Kazakhstan and endangered aquatic as well as terrestrial species. KB
Dam will trap an estimated two-thirds of the sediments of the Indus
River, which has the fifth highest sediment load in the world and the
Dam will increase salinity and water logging and will further degrade
the soil and agricultural productivity of the Indus Basin. Shortage of
water near, and in, the river's estuary would cause a lot of
environmental degradation in the coastal areas, destroying Tamar
(mangroves) and marine life as well as causing considerable ecological
damage to the Indus in its lower reaches. Reduced river discharge,
combined with raised sea levels due to global warming, will enable the
estuarine salt wedge to extend much further upstream than it previously
did at the river mouth. The resultant salinisation/salinity will have a
disastrous effect on the ecology and agricultural productivity and
Arabian Sea water might travel upwards for considerable distances
submerging/immersing large regions of lower Sindh. As far as the
irrigation of Punjab's Seraiki areas are concerned, the lands along the
proposed canal sites are already owned/purchased by the settlers and
absentee landlords and it will result in adverse demographic change in
Seraiki belt, starting a powerful process of reducing the Seraiki-
speaking people to a tiny minority in their thousands year old homeland.
As far as the existing water position is concerned, the province of
Sindh needs adequate water for April/May period to ensure initial
irrigations for major Kharif crops. But despite that fact that
province's share for April, according to water accord of 1991 is
121,400 cusecs, it just received only 30,275 cusecs for April 2000. In
fact there is no shortage of water in the country. The only shortage is
of fairness. The Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals were
built under Indus Water Treaty to supply dry beds of eastern rivers,
surrendered to India in a disastrous accord and it was agreed that the
canals would operate only under surplus flows in Indus and with prior
permission of Sindh government. But the agreement has been continuously
violated since late seventies. It is this catastrophic situation that
forced the minister of irrigation and power, government of Sindh Mr.
A.N.G. Abbasi to say that it is not a matter of simply "choree" (theft)
but it is "seena zori". Before this the then Governor of Sindh Mr.
Daudpota also complained that Punjab is stealing 11000 cusecs water of
Sindh 's share.
The construction of Kalabagh Dam may offer prospects of lucrative
kickbacks for our rulers and may bring some land under cultivation in
Punjab but only at the cost of inundation and displacement in NWFP,
ecological and environmental disaster in Indus basin and at the cost of
destruction & desertification of green and fertile lands of Sindh, some
parts of Balochistan and NWFP . Ultimately there will not only be a net
loss of food production in Pakistan but many areas of Sindh will even
be deprived of drinking water. Therefore, we urge you to halt all the
planning, preparations and surveys of Kalabagh Dam. We further urge you
to take immediate action to save the lives, livelihood and habitats of
millions of the people of Indus Basin and terminate this project at
once forever.
Name--------------------------- Org--------------------------------
City / Country
1. Ayaz Latif Palijo Sindh Research Council (SRC) Hyderabad
Pakistan
2. Mir Atta Muhammad Talpur Sindh Society (SSRD) Mirpurkhas,
Pakistan
3. Jami Chadio Editor Daily Ibrat Hyderabad
Pakistan
4. Inam Shaikh Journalist Kawish Hyderabad
Pakistan
5. Rasul Bux Palijo Awami Tahreek Hyderabad
Pakistan
6. Dr. Qadir Magsi Sindh Tarqi Pasand Party
Hyderabad Pakistan
7. Bashir Khan Qureshi Jeay Sindh Qoumi Muhaz Larkana Pakistan
8. Noor ul Huda Shah Writer Hyderabad
Pakistan
9. Professor Gul Agha Professor USA
10. Sassui Palijo Law Student London
UK
11. Malsi Dias Colombo Sri
Lanka
12. Saviri Goonesekere Colombo
13. Swana Jayaweera Colombo Sri
Lanka
14. Razk Sarohi Tameer Sindh Hyderabad
Pakistan
15. Jaffar Memon Tameer Sindh
Hyderabad Pakistan
16. Action for Global Justice USA
17. Abdul Aziz Buriro Pakistan Peoples Party Karachi
Pakistan
18. Shaheen Khan Writer
Hyderabad Pakistan
19. Arab Malah Tarqi Passand Mallah Hyderabad
Pakistan
20. Yury Urbonsky National Ecological Centre Ukraine
21. Dr. Qamar Wahid Professor
JAmshoro Pakistan
22. Dr. Shams Siddiqui Writer Hyderabad
Pakistan
23. Hafeez Kunbhar Writer
Hyderabad Pakistan
24. Hasan Dars Writer Hyderabad
Pakistan
25. Ibrahim Munshi Writer
Hyderabad Pakistan
26. Qamar Shahbaz Writer Karachi
Pakistan
27. Rafik Mustafa Abbasi NGO Activist
Hyderabad Pakistan
28. Magnus Linder Sweden
29. Peter Olofson Umea,
Sweden
30. Caroline Evenbo Sweden
31. Jesica Bjark
Grimsas, Sweden
32. Naseer Sarang Memon NGO Activist Hyderabad
Pakistan
33. Imdad Husaini Poet
Hyderabad Pakistan
34. Malik Nadim Poet
Khairpur Pakistan
35. Lian Greff Environmentalist South Africa
36. Mukhtiar Malik Sindhi Adabi Sangat
Khairpur Pakistan
37. Nusrat Lashari Writer Karachi
Pakistan
38. Sahar Imdad Poetess Jamshoro
Pakistan
39. Görann Ekward Conservationist Sweden
40. Robert Gardet Paris,
France
41. Claude Villard Activist
France
42. Freis Montpellier France
43. Sobho Gianchandani Writer Larkana Pakistan
44. Taj Joyo Lib Sidhi Language Authority
Hyderabad Pakistan
45. Third World Network Malaysia
46. Sohail Kalhoro IT Professional London
UK
47. Nadeem Jamali Univ. of Illinois at Urbana
Champaign USA
48. Paulene Wiliams
Australia
49. Tricsh Kent Perth, Australia
50. Debbie Kersloke Sydney
Australia
51. Rubina N Shaikh World Sindhi Congress Cardiff, Wales
UK
52. Arif Arrman Jakarta,
Indonesia
53. Jijee Zarina Baloch Writer Hyderabad
Pakistan
54. Asia Resource Center (ARC) Tokyo,
Japan
55. Mahfooz Ursani PNRDP Hyderabad
Pakistan
56. Ali Ahmad Joyo Engineer
Hyderabad Pakistan
57. Doe Toshiyuki Forum on the ADB Japan
58. Murtaza Malik Consultant
Peshawar Pakistan
59. M. Grunbohal Austria
60. Chainarong Sretthachau Southeast Rivers Network Thailand
61. Supacha Charnwong Legal Aid Thailand
62. Naseer Mirza Writer
Hyderabad Pakistan
63. Somcha Sirchai Farmers Network Thailand
64. Farhan Soomro Florida
USA
65. SHAHBAZ VAKA Pakistan
66. Hussain Uqaili SANA Toronto
Canada
67. Nazia Memon Medical Student Hyderabad/Pak
68. FARAH ALI Karachi / PAK
69. Fazal Nizamani Sindhi Sangat
Sydney /Australia
70. Nizamuddin Nizamani
71. Nazia Junejo
Arizona, USA
72. Michiya Kumaoka Japan
73. Makoto Sataka Japan
74. Makoto Sato Japan
75. Hisae Sawachi Japan
76. Masumi Sirakawa Japan
77. Kojiro Sho Japan
78. Jinzaburo Takagi Japan
79. B K Shar UK
80. Anna Bassol Barcelona, Spain
81. Mireia Dunac Ecologist Spain
82. Ameer Ali Qadri Professor Tando
Jam Pakistan
83. Rajab Memon Professor Tando Jam
Pakistan
84. Siraj Siyal Ast. Professor Tando Jam
Pakistan
85. Asif Baladi Writer Hyderbad Sindh
Pakistan
86. Nasim Thebo Writer Jamshoro
Pakistan
87. Haider Mallah STP
Hyderabad Pakistan
88. Dodo Maheri Badin Pakistan
89. Shabana Mangi Sindh University Jamshoro
90. Moona Thebo Sindh University Jamshoro
91. Mahmooda Mangi Aero Asia Pakistan
92. Razak Rind Al Khair University Hyderabad
Pakistan
93. Dr. Rukhsana Fazal Karachi Sindh
94. Ashfaq Azar Daily Kawish Hyderabad Sindh
95. Shabir Nizamani Daily Ibrat
Hyderabad Pakistan
96. Jam Saqi Writer
Hyderabad
97. Sana Ayaz Doctor Hyderabad
98. Deedar Baloch Advocate
Mirpurkhas Sindh
99. Nazir Naz Lecturer
Hyderabad
100. Maqsood Memon writer Pakistan
101. Salim Channa Writer
Hyderabad Pakistan
102. Ashraf Baloch Artist
Hyderabad Pakistan
103. Abid Shah Environmentalist Australia
104. Dr. Aziz Talpur Awami Tahreek Tando Mohd Khan
Sindh
105. Mohd Khan Bhurgri Awami Tahreek Hyderabad
106. Wishnoo Mal Awami Tahreek Badin Sindh
107. Akbar Sagar Writer Karachi
Pakistan
108. Parwano Bhatti Journalist
Hyderabad Pakistan
109. Yusif Leghari SDP
Hyderabad Pakistan
110. Tasleem Zanoor Writer Kawish
Hyderabad Sindh
111. Akash Mallah JSQM Sindh
112. Mir Allam Maree JSQM Sindh
113. Nazeer Kamal Writer
Hyderabad Pakistan
114. Mansoor Qadir Junejo Writer Sindh
115. Aijaz Mangi Journalist Tameer Sindh Jamshoro
Pakistan
116.
_____________________________
Sign and send your protests to
The Chief Executive of Pakistan <C...@pak.gov.pk>
and endorse a copy to <tal...@mail.com>
______________________________
Thanks,
Mir Atta Muhammad Talpur
http://surf.to/indus
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