THE DIAMER BHASHA:                                                                                                                 THE DIAMER BHASHA:                 The diamer bhasha dam on the indus and 165km downstream of gilgit has been started.It has a water storage capacity of 7.4 MAF it would generate 4500 MW.it is unfortunate that the much needed kalabagh dam (KBD) has fallen a prey to politics.if built it would be able to generate 3600 MW.sindh apprehends that this dam would turn sindh into a desert especially when considering indias pilferage of water from the chenab and jehlum (in violation of the indus water treaty 1960)for its own projects.Sindh also fears that sea water would move upward to kotri damaging agriculture and making water not fit for drinking.It also fears that the Mangrove Fprests along the coastal areas would be destroyed.                                                                                                                                                                                                            According to the international water distribution law the upper riparian (the punjab) cannot store water without the approval of the lower riparian sindh.but the fact is that dams do not consume water they store water during floods and then it can be used for crops during the dry periods so agricultural production would increase instead of decreasing.Moreover forests mainly grow in saline water.NWFP apprehends that nowshehra would be drowned while there would be water logging and salinity in swabi and mardan as a result of the KBD.Moreover it says that a large number of people would get more cultivable land would be of no use.it also fears that the punjab would get more rouyalty as the electricity generating equipment would be in the punjab would get more reservoir would be in NWFP.it must be noted that the KBD would be 915 feet above sea level lower than the altitudes of nowshehra,Swabi and mardan thus ruling out the possibilty of any water loggong salinity or floods. whenever and wherever dams are builtpeople living in the vicinity need to be displaced.This problem would also be in the punjab.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Some sacrifices have to be made to live.The punjab has also promised to give constotutional guarantees that it would not demand extra rovalty.Baluchistan does not have any direct grieances but being a backward province has reservations.