Storage, Strength, Survival; Pakistan needs dams

The debate over dams in Pakistan remains heated. Experts, activists, and policymakers continue to argue whether dams are the best solution for the country’s water and energy needs or if natural alternatives should take priority.

Few Arguments Against Dams

• Campaigns in support of dams were misleading, pushed by dam lobbies without credible research, while billions were invested in mega projects.

• Dams are not fully flood-proof. They may reduce small floods but worsen large ones by narrowing river channels.

• Sedimentation makes dams unsustainable, as most reservoirs silt up within 50 years.

• Alternatives exist: Pakistan’s aquifers, wetlands, and river floodplains together can store nearly 500 MAF of water.

• The dam push is often seen as contractor-driven and loan-driven rather than based on long-term national benefit.

From Floods to Fields: How Dams Safeguard Pakistan’s Future

• Dams are not only for flood control; their main role is storing and regulating water for agriculture, drinking, and hydropower during dry months.

• Without reservoirs, Pakistan cannot meet year-round water needs due to seasonal rainfall and river inflows.

• Aquifers are not unlimited. Overuse has already caused depletion, salinity, and contamination in Punjab and Sindh.

• Dams actually help recharge aquifers, making controlled surface storage essential for groundwater sustainability.

• Depending only on “natural flows” is unrealistic. Pakistan’s dense population in floodplains makes floods deadlier compared to Europe, where stricter governance controls land use.

• Sedimentation can be reduced through methods such as flushing, bypass tunnels, dredging, and watershed care, which have already extended the lifespan of Tarbela and Mangla dams.

• Hydropower from reservoirs is critical for energy security. It provides clean, domestic, long-term electricity that supports, not competes with, solar and wind power.

• Large dams help balance peak demand and base-load electricity, making them vital for climate change adaptation.

• The best approach is integrated: dams for storage and energy, alongside aquifers and wetlands for ecological resilience. Rejecting dams completely is impractical for Pakistan’s water-stressed future.

The reality is that Pakistan’s existential water challenge requires large strategic reservoirs to regulate flows, provide water security, generate energy, and recharge aquifers. Nature-based solutions are valuable complements, but they cannot replace the storage, regulation, and reliability that dams uniquely provide in a monsoon-driven, water-stressed country.