Khaqan Abbasi stressed the need for construction of dams
18 October, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday directed the Ministry of Water Resources to expedite efforts for the construction of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.
Presiding over a meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday, he also directed that financing strategy for Diamer-Bhasha Dam should be brought before the Council of Common Interests for approval.
During the meeting, an overview of the annual surface water availability and distribution of western and eastern rivers was presented along with water storage capacity available in the country.
Matters pertaining to trans-boundary water issues and the efforts being made for early resolution of the pending disputes also came under discussion.
He observed that in order to meet the challenges of water scarcity and to cater to irrigation needs of the country, there was an urgent need for undertaking water conservation measures including construction of much-needed water reservouirs.
The prime minister said that failure to add storage capacity during last four decades has created a situation of water scarcity.
The meeting was informed that out of 137 million acre feet of available water flow at present approximately 93 MAF was being diverted to the canals for irrigation purposes, while 22 MAF of water flowed into the Arabian Sea.
|
