LAHORE - Pakistan Awami Tehreek Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri has said new dams and water reservoirs are indispensable for prosperity and survival of Pakistan.

In a statement issued from here yesterday, he said past rulers committed the worst kind of negligence by ignoring importance of dams. The PAT, he said, supported the agenda of the new government in national interest. For this, he said, PAT had already launched a campaign to create awareness about importance of water reservoirs. In the past, he said, unnecessary heated statements and counter statements made big dams controversial and this was in fact a conspiracy as well as negligence and incompetency of past rulers. 

Even resolutions were passed in Assemblies against Kalabagh Dam which were nothing but denial of importance of dams and water reservoirs. He said if immediate construction of big dams like Kalabagh and Basha were not feasible, then why no attention was paid to small dams?

If past rulers were determined, they could easily construct small dams to check wastage of precious water, and produce inexpensive electricity. None of provincial assembly had passed any resolution against small dams, he said, adding America has more than 75,ooo small dams while China constructed over 84,ooo among them 22,ooo were big dams. Russia, India and other western countries annually spend reasonable amount on construction of new dams. Every year India announces new dams and ensures their construction. Our rulers alleged India of stealing water, but never made efforts to preserve water. PAT chairman said incompetent and corrupt rulers simply filled their coffers, instead planning in the best interest and for better future of country.