ARE Sindh and Punjab set to enter into a round of hydro tensions? This time, a string of dams on the Chenab river are being proposed. The case for one of the four — the Chiniot dam — has been presented to Irsa by Wapda. The Chiniot dam is envisioned as a multi-purpose project on the Chenab, about 100 kilometres downstream of the Qadirabad barrage and 5km from Chiniot city. According to the project’s PC-1, the reservoir will have a gross storage capacity of 1 MAF. The project envisages the storage of surplus monsoon flows, flood mitigation, the generation of 80MW of hydropower, and water supply to Faisalabad city. The structure includes an earth-fill main dam, two gated barrages, 77km of reservoir dykes on both banks, and a surface powerhouse.

Wapda, through this initiative, is quietly reviving the Cholistan project, which the Council of Common Interests halted last year. The project is riddled with serious flaws. In a technical appraisal, the federal planning ministry has made more than 50 observations regarding the project. A working paper reveals that the project will inundate about 47,000 acres of land within the floodplain of the Chenab river; the local population is deeply concerned about........

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