March 11, 2016
President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President AKIA, First Vice Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Friday said lack of water storage capacity is inflicting an annual loss of 3.5 billion dollars to the national economy.
The dismal storage capacity of eight percent, water disputes and differences over mega dams has inflicted a loss of around 1.5 trillion dollars to the country in the last 45 years, he said.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that country will continue to bear losses as policymakers seems uninterested in a proper water policy and water strategy.
We are divided over important issue while India has constructed 171 dams in Indian occupied Kashmir to generate 28,000 megawatt of cheap electricity to propel its economy, he noted.
On the other hand, he said, we rely on costly options to generate power which has taken toll on masses as well as industry which is facing difficulty to remain competitive.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that agriculture is said to be backbone of the economy but only eight percent of 145 million acre feet of water is stored annually.
Proper water storage required three mega dams, he said, adding that country has not built a single mega dam in the last 41 years which is indifference.
The most important offices of Indus River System Authority and that of Indus Water Commissioner lack proper budget, staff and equipment.
He said that reviving WAPDA can also help push country on path of prosperity.
