The prime minister has said that a broad based strategy has been devised to discourage the wastage of national water resources by building small and medium dams. Small and medium dams could not have stopped the 50 million acre feet that flowed to the sea last year and also this year. With their small and medium capacities, they will not be able to do so next year or any other year until Bhasha dam is commissioned in 2023, or more likely in 2026. And then too Bhasha dam will stop only half the flood waters and not the flood waters from Kabul, Chitral, Swat, Haro and Sohan rivers. Then he has said that under the new vision the government is devising a plan to bring maximum land under cultivation to enhance production of foodstuff for the speedy economic recovery of the country. Again the question arises, will the small dams and medium dam with their small and medium capacities be able to irrigate the 20 million acres that yet need to be irrigated especially in sindh. The rosy picture the government is trying to sell its voters can only be achieved by a mega dam with the shortest gestation period. ENGR KHURSHID ANWER, Lahore, October 15.