Pakistani Villagers Oppose Dam

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Pakistani Villagers Oppose Dam

Pakistan is going ahead with the $14 billion Diamer Bhasha dam on the Indus river despite opposition from displaced villagers and the withdrawal of international funders

The desperation is rising for thousands of villagers in Pakistan'sGilgit-Baltistanprovince who say they have sacrificed not just their land but also their culture for the controversialDiamer Bhasha damthat their government is determined to build at any cost.

"It is obvious that the dam will sink everything — from our properties to our social and cultural values. We have given up all of these for the sake of this dam," Attaullah Khan, who heads the ‘Affectees Committee of Diamer-Basha Dam', told thethirdpole.net.

The US$14 billion dam is slated to come up on the Indus river in Gilgit-Baltistan's Diamer district, about 360 km upstream of Islamabad and 165 km downstream of the provincial capital of Gilgit. Environmentalists have pointed out that the dam would have consequences for the fragile ecology of the area and result in more landslides and flashfloods.

The dam will affect 32 villages with an estimated population of 30,350. It will produce 4,500 megawattsof electricity and store an additional 10.5 km3 of water to be used for irrigation and drinking.

The people's view

The government's indifference to their plight led them to Islamabad, said Attaullah Khan, who recently led an 18-member team to the Pakistan capital and met several ministers to press for revised compensation of their land. The other key points in the 32-pointcharter of demandsinclude resettlement of those affected, allotment of homes in Islamabad and Abbottabad at nominal rates, construction of model residential colonies in Diamer as well as jobs in the project itself and education for their children.They also threatened to block construction and hold a sit-in in Diamer and in Islamabad if their demands were not met.

"The Pakistani currency has devalued significantly compared to the dollar since 2010 when the agreement was signed and the price of our lands has also increased," Attaullah said.

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