10 February
2004 Tuesday 18 Zilhaj 1424
Government's water policy
How will our posterity remember the present regime? As a government that messed
up everything that it touched, restated its positions on different issues more
than once and made the most U-turns in its national and international policies?
Or the one that fumbled from one mishap to the other and from one crisis to the
next one?
Yet another way it might be remembered is that it scratched open some painful
wounds that needed to heal and wrote new chapters in repression and subjugation
of the less favoured people. One case in point is its resolve to build Greater
Thal Canal and some unwanted dams that are destined to destroy the agriculture
and economy of a province, damage the eco system, kill the delta life and uproot
and annihilate hundreds of thousands of people by taking away means of their
livelihood.
The present regime may not give much consideration to the high cost of these
mega projects in national and human terms. But how about their cost - and
viability in financial terms?
Pakistan
is already under a mountain of external and internal debts. After servicing the
debts and allocating funds for the defence, we hardly have anything left for
other urgent requirements. Can we afford to incur more debts to undertake the
proposed mega water projects?
According to the national budget for the year 2003-2004, the federal
government's total net receipts, including the net capital receipts, are
estimated at Rs550 billion. The total current expenditure stands at Rs645
billion. It includes debt-servicing (Rs256 billion) and defence and other items
(Rs389 billion). It means we are already in deficit of Rs95 billion before any
allocation of funds for development projects and disbursement to the provinces.
We have to depend on external and internal debts to pay for part of our current
expenditures, undertaking any development projects and to meet other monetary
needs.
If we go ahead with the construction of highly controversial mega projects that
include at least four major dams and some canals, we will have to incur another
external and internal debts to the tune of $30-35 billion. That will cause the
debt-servicing jump by at least 50 per cent. It may require an additional amount
of up to Rs128 billion or may be more. Where will the money come from to pay
back that huge debt when there is no benefit in sight from these whimsical
projects? Won't it cause the ultimate collapse of our economy?
What does common sense say? Doesn't it call for having another look at the
government's water policy and listening to what the "other" stakeholders say?
Shouldn't we also look into the available alternates that are better suited to
the conditions in our country, will be more beneficial to all the people and
could be undertaken at a fraction of the cost of the proposed mega water
projects?
AZIZ NAREJO
Corpus Christi,
TX.,
USA