Round The World

New Delhi, 20 February 2007

Pakistan Vs Kashmir

ANOTHER DAM CONTROVERSY

By Seema Sridhar

School of International Studies, JNU

The construction of large dams and water sharing has been a topic of perennial debate and disputes, particularly where water supply is seasonal. The snow-fed Himalayan rivers which are filled by melting of glaciers have not been harnessed to their full potential owing to topographical reasons and political considerations in the region. As India and Pakistan are analyzing the World Bank-appointed neutral expert’s verdict on the Baglihar Hydel Project (BHP) wherein Pakistan’s objections have been overruled, it would be pertinent to pay attention to one such large dam across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pak-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

It is Mangla Dam which has been in the eye of the storm since the proposal to raise its height was mooted. What are the major controversies surrounding the raising of the dam? What are its implications for the people of PoK and their relationship with the Government of Pakistan? The Dam was first constructed in 1967 in Mirpur in that part of PoK designated by Pakistan as Azad  Kashmir. With a gross storage capacity of 5.88 million acre feet, it has been one of the three major dams meeting water requirements in Pakistan, along with Tarbela and Chashma. Raising of the dam has now gained importance on account of the growing shortage of irrigation due to sedimentation of the country's two major storage reservoirs at Terbela and Mangla. Sediments deposition has reduced the gross storage capacity of Mangla reservoir by about 20 per cent.

The same problem has mitigated the storage capacity of the Tarbela dam as well and this has necessitated the increase in the height of the Mangla dam in order to meet the ever increasing water demands of Pakistan. Raising of the Dam by 40ft would increase the storage capacity by 2.9 million acre feet and average annual energy output is estimated to increase by 772 GWH which is 14 per cent of the present energy yields from Mangla.  However, the benefits of raising the Dam come with the substantial cost of displacement and immense discontent of the population of the region.

The opposition to this project comes from the misgivings about displacement and resettlement issues, apart from the serious environmental effects involved. The MDRP would affect about 8023 households and an area of 15783 acres will be submerged in water.  When the dam was first constructed, 80,000 to 85,000 people were displaced during the construction of Mangla Dam and some of the affected persons are still waiting payment of compensation.

The package then promised included new colonies, appropriate compensation, relocation in new Mirpur city and inside Pakistan, visas and voucher for England, cheap electricity and water, new roads and bridges and royalty to the PoK Government. The water was released in 1967 and the whole of the Old Mirpur City, 65,000-acre surrounding land and 260 villages were drowned at the time of the construction of the dam, but none of the promises were fulfilled except for sending 300 people to England by the British company which was awarded the contract for construction of the dam.

Amidst vehement opposition to the dam by the local population, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the PoK Government signed the agreement for raising the height of the dam in 2003. The inauguration of the extension work by President Musharraf was scheduled for 2002, without an agreement with the PoK Government and the people came out in thousands to protest; para-military forces were called in to clampdown on protests and tear gas and batten charge were used on the peaceful protestors. The contract was awarded to a joint venture of one Chinese and five Pakistani contractors in February 2004 after completion of the engineering plan of the MDRP. The China International Water and Electric Corporation (CWE) is leading this Mangla Joint Venture (MJV) with five other Pakistani contractors.

After widespread protests in Mirpur against the MDRP, the Government came up with a compensation package in May 2005. Out of the total project cost of Rs 62.5b, Rs 36 billion will be spent on compensation and resettlement works. The resettlement package includes construction of a bridge on river Jhelum at Dhangali, establishment of a Vocational Training Institute, schools among others. The land compensation would be given at market price plus 15 per cent compulsory acquisition charges and owners will be allowed to cultivate their land during recession.

The affectees will get replacement cost of house, which will be in addition to 10 per cent amount for the same purpose while the owners will also be allowed to carry salvage material of their houses. The most significant aspect of this package is that the MDRP also carries compensation for the old affectees of the Mangla Dam. The phased process to rehabilitate those affected is scheduled to begin later this year.

The possibility of opening up investment avenues in Mirpur from local and foreign entrepreneurs is being projected as positive side to the MRDP. The materialization of this is still along way off and to what extent the region would be allowed to benefit from these gains is a key question.

The royalty for electricity generated from the Mangla was not paid to PoK till 2003 when the agreement for the MDRP was signed. However, it was only in 2005 that the issue of royalty was de-linked form that of electricity bills that the PoK Government had to pay to WAPDA. Earlier it was set off against the other and virtually no royalty was received by PoK even after signing the agreement.

The discriminatory pricing policy adopted by the WAPDA against PoK after displacing its people is evident. The electricity tariff in PoK was Rs. 4.25 a unit and in Pakistan Rs. 2.85 a unit. These bitter experiences from the past have rendered the people of PoK completely distrustful of Islamabad. The frustration over lack of political representation in Islamabad wherein they can voice their concerns has added fuel to the simmering discontent in the region.

The opposition to large dams in other provinces of Pakistan, particularly over Kalabagh which is opposed by Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan has resulted in the MDRP as the most viable alternative for Pakistan. In order to keep its own house in order, the genuine concerns and aspirations of the people of PoK have been trampled upon by Islamabad. The increasing feeling that Pakistan needs PoK only to satisfy its water requirements has seeped in and has begun to mar Pakistan’s Kashmir position. The past experience of the people with the unfulfilled promises of the Pakistan Government has disillusioned them and the opposition to the dam continues.---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)