Asian Development Bank has gone back on its commitment to fund Bhasha dam and wants a broader coalition of donors including the World Bank. But the World Bank has already refused funding on the plea that the dam site is in disputed territory. The four year delay in funding has added $500 million per year to the $12 billion cost of the project. Also deprived Pakistan of $8 billion in annual benefits at the rate of $2 billion per year. At this rate we have already lost 18 X 2 = $36 billion due to delay in construction of Kalabagh dam. The government must now consider construction of Kalabagh dam since both ADB and WB will have no objection to funding it.
ENGR KHURSHID ANWER,
Lahore, August 12.