Few Arguments against Dams

Islamabad: Special Report

• Campaign in favour of dams was misleading, driven by dam lobbies without credible research; billions were invested in mega-dams.
• Dams are not flood-proof; while they may reduce small floods, they intensify large ones by narrowing river channels.
• Sedimentation makes dams unsustainable, as they silt up within 50 years.
• Alternatives exist; Pakistan’s aquifers, wetlands, and river floodplains can store nearly 500 MAF water.
• The push for dams is portrayed as contractor- and loan-driven.

From floods to fields, dams safeguard Pakistan’s future

• Dams are not only about flood control; their core role in Pakistan is storing and regulating water for agriculture, drinking, and hydropower during dry months.
• Without reservoirs, Pakistan cannot meet year-round water needs due to highly seasonal rainfall and river inflows.
• Aquifers are not infinite: over-extraction already causes depletion, salinity, and contamination in Punjab and Sindh.
• Dams actually help recharge aquifers, so controlled surface storage is essential for groundwater sustainability.
• Relying solely on “natural flows” is unrealistic, as Pakistan’s dense population in floodplains makes floods far deadlier compared to Europe, where governance regulates land use better.
• Sedimentation can be managed through modern engineering methods like flushing, bypass tunnels, dredging, and watershed care, which have already extended Tarbela and Mangla’s lifespan.
• Hydropower from large reservoirs is vital for Pakistan’s energy security, providing clean, domestic, long-term electricity that complements, not competes with, solar and wind.
• Large dams also help with peak demand management and base-load electricity, making them crucial for climate mitigation.
• The best approach is integrated: dams for strategic storage and energy, aquifers and wetlands for resilience and ecological balance, rejecting dams altogether is impractical for Pakistan’s water-stressed reality.

Conclusion
The reality is that Pakistan’s existential water challenge requires large strategic reservoirs to regulate flows, provide water security, generate energy, and recharge aquifers. Nature-based solutions are valuable complements, but they cannot replace the storage, regulation, and reliability that dams uniquely provide in a monsoon-driven, water-stressed country.