ISLAMABAD (APP) - For thousands of years, humanity has been aware of the importance of water as humans can survive without water only for a few days. Sensing the need of water in future, experts and politicians have been calling for building more and more water reservoirs. While an Indian water experts team, headed by Indian Water Commissioner, is visiting Pakistan this week, experts are of the opinion that Indian hegemonic designs have once again targeted Pakistani interests as India has launched illegal construction of dams and barrages on rivers flowing into Pakistan. The dams fever of Indian regime has gripped the region with suspicions, trust deficit and hostility as India has a history of water conflicts with Bangladesh and Nepal. Now the construction of controversial dams on rivers flowing into Pakistan has endangered the regional peace as Pakistan is an important regional player and any misunderstanding between the two nuclear capable neighbours can jeopardise the peace and development of the entire region. After drying out Pakistani rivers including Ravi, Satluj, Bias and Jehlum by building Kishan Ganga Dam, Baglihar Dam and other smaller barrages, India has launched a new dam on River Chenab, in open violation of Indus Basin Treaty. India has started construction of three dams on the Indus River - the lifeline of Pakistan. The construction of these dams is part of the Indian plan to generate 2,060 MW of electricity. According to the latest study titled Mountains of Concrete: Dam Building in the Himalayas, Pakistan is on the brink of water disaster and its availability would plunge to 800 cubic meters per capita annually by 2020 from the current 1,200 cubic meters. Sixty years ago, 5,000 cubic meters of water was available to every Pakistani citizen. Keeping in view the appalling water situation in the country with only two big water reservoirs - Tarbela and Mangla - the Indian move could prove disastrous for Pakistan. India has already constructed and made the Baglihar Power Project operational at the Chenab River and it is also building more dams on Chenab River such as Uri-1, Uri-2 projects. India plans to construct 10-20 more dams on the Chenab River alone. On the Jhelum River, India is already constructing the Kishanganga Hydropower project. The construction of these dams in Ladakh region to produce 219 megawatt of electricity has already started in clear violation of the Indus Water Treaty and ignoring the fragile environment of Ladakh region to meet the demand of the Indian Army deployed at Siachen glacier. India has also started 45MW Nimoo Bazgo Project at village Alchi, 70Km from Leh, 130MW Dumkhar Project located 128km on Leh- Khalsi Batalik road and Chutak on River Suru - a major tributary of the Indus River in Kargil district. The latest reports suggest that powerhouse of Nimoo Bazgo project is complete and 48 percent concreting of 57-metre dam up to crest level has also been completed. The Chutak project is scheduled to be completed as early as 2011. Though these dams also pose a threat of flash floods in Northern Areas because of the ratio of Indian dam failures in such regions. So far, nine of them have collapsed - but the bigger question i.e. when India is constructing dams on every possible site, why Pakistani policy-makers are silent over the issue? Under international laws, the flow of rivers cannot be stopped by any country. River waters have categorisation of agriculture water, domestic use water and civilisation water. Any state can sell its agriculture waters but the civilisation and domestic use waters cant be sold so that civilisation does not suffer. Under the Indus Basin Treaty, Pakistan sold its agriculture waters to India and not the domestic use and civilisation waters. Prior to water conflict with Pakistan, India has also been stealing water share of Nepal and Bangladesh as India has dispute with Bangladesh over Farraka Barrage, and with Nepal over Mahakali River. Indian dams are being constructed on Pakistani rivers under a well thought out strategy to rendering the link-canal system redundant, destroying agriculture and turning Pakistan into a desert. Pakistans water statistics are worsening by the day: its per capita availability would drop to a dangerous 800 metres by 2020. It regularly faces up to 25 per cent water shortage even if both dams are filled and it rains normal during winter. Tarbella Dam, which used to serve the nation right up to mid-June, when next filling starts, now hits the dead level by February-end or early March. Silt has eaten up 28 per cent capacity of both dams and eats more every year. Subsoil aquifer has dropped even to 300 to 400 feet in the cities due to heavy pumping. Politicians are of the view that Pakistan government should adopt an aggressive diplomatic offensive against the hegemonic designs of India over the river waters flowing from Kashmir into Pakistan so that the water dispute could be internationalised. Thus the world pressure could force India to give Pakistan its due share of water. Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Pir Aftab Shah Jilani told this news agency that India was openly violating the Indus Basin Treaty and the construction of dams and barrages on rivers flowing into Pakistan was a violation of the Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the mutual water accord. Though the water issue is yet to be raised at the Cabinet Meeting, yet I hope that this issue would top the agenda of the Pak-India Composite Dialogue due to start soon, he added. Jilani said water scarcity was a burning issue in Pakistan and the countrys agriculture sector was suffering badly due to the water shortage. India releases water only when their dams and barrages, built in violation of (Indus Basin) treaty, over-flow during monsoon, he added. Former Information Minister Senator Mohammed Ali Durrani called upon the government to take up the issue of blockage of domestic use waters of Rivers Satluj, Ravi and Bias at the United Nations (UN) which was an open violation of Indus Basin Treaty. He said that India is involved in water terrorism against Pakistani people and the world community should be taken onboard about this vicious attempt by the Indians. Time is ripe for the government to adopt a prudent water strategy for the country, especially for Southern Punjab. If the civilisation living alongside these three rivers is not provided water, our agriculture sector would suffer a major blow, warned the Senator. Chairman of Pakistan-China Institute, Mushahid Hussain Sayed asked the government to adopt a strategy to internationalise the Indian control of Pakistani rivers waters. Since the geo-political situation is moving towards Pakistans advantage, Pakistani policy makers need to have capabilities to derive advantages of this emerging scenario. PML-Q MNA Marvi Memon said India has a history of water disputes with its neighboring countries including China, Nepal and Bangladesh. Now India has blocked waters of Chenab and Kabul rivers due to which 55000 cusecs water shortage is being recorded at Head Marala while the water level at Mangla Dam is also reducing, she said. During past 50 years, 37 wars have been fought on water. As a peace-loving nation, Pakistan and the world cannot afford another crusade on water, she asserted.