As floods continue to devastate the country, the debate over long-term solutions has intensified. Pakistan is now staring at the grim reality that, without decisive action on a massive scale, the nation will drown year after year. Yet, deeply entrenched positions remain unchanged, and it is increasingly clear that a broader, national-level dialogue is urgently needed.
This was evident when Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur voiced support for the long-contested Kalabagh Dam, which in theory would improve Pakistan’s ability to regulate floodwaters, particularly downstream in Sindh. His remarks were immediately rejected by the Pakistan Peoples Party, which has long considered Kalabagh an existential threat to Sindh. Surprisingly, many PTI leaders also distanced themselves, arguing that the matter had been settled years ago when all provinces passed resolutions against it.
As often happens in such debates, the discussion soon degenerated into criticism and whataboutism, with barbs traded over the Bhasha Dam and the failures of successive governments. While Sindh’s reliance on the Indus River makes its apprehensions understandable, the fact remains that Pakistan urgently requires not one, but several large-scale dams, along with robust drainage and irrigation systems, if it is to withstand the annual onslaught of floods. These are not mere political talking points—they are matters of survival.
While the politics of water has always been fraught with controversy, there is hope that once the floodwaters recede, Pakistanis will look to the future with renewed seriousness. Even “settled” ideas may need to be reopened for debate. No sustainable solution to Pakistan’s flooding crisis can be found without large-scale infrastructure on the country’s major waterways. It is time to rise above provincialism and ethnic politics and adopt a truly national strategy—one that secures the lives and livelihoods of citizens from the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan to the shores of Karachi.
