Pakistan crowdfunds $40 mn for dam but spent $63 mn on its ads: Report

he heavily advertised crowdsourced campaign, which was launched by a Supreme Court judge and was endorsed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan is the mega dam caught in a scandal.

Incessant rainfall and water logging in Pakistan became a cause of concern for many when large parts of the country became submerged, leading to massive destruction across the country. The death toll from the recent floods in Pakistan is close to 1,500 after thousands of people still sleep in the open air following the disaster. 

According to a study, climate change likely juiced rainfall by up to 50 per cent late last month in Pakistan. 

According to a report published in Vice, Pakistan collected $40 million for a mega dam on the Indus river but spent $63 million on advertising it. The heavily advertised crowdsourced campaign launched by a Supreme Court judge and endorsed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan is the mega dam caught in a scandal. 

The Diamer-Bhasha Dam on the Indus River, which is nowhere near completion, was supposed to solve Pakistan's future flooding and power problems. The report suggests that according to Pakistan's Parliamentary Affairs Committee (PAC), Rs 9 billion or $40 million was raised for the dam's construction. Still, Rs 14 billion or $63 million was spent on its advertising. The Pakistan government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has now summoned the retired judge after his claim.

The Diamer-Bhasha Dam on the Indus River, proposed in the early 1980s, was stalled for decades owing to various factors, including location, environmental impact and costs. Saqib Nisar, the newly appointed chief justice, in July 2018, announced the dam's construction and made it a central focus of his judicial activism efforts.

Soon after, a fund for dam construction was set up, and a large swathe of influential Pakistanis signed up. From Army to the Cricket team and top musicians, several jumped on the bandwagon, and eventually, former Prime Minister Imran Khan assumed the joint leadership.

However, by February 2019, there was still a shortfall of Rs 1.5 trillion or $6.3 billion between the amount raised and the amount needed. By this time, retired Saqib Nisar announced that the purpose of the fundraising was not to build the dams but to raise awareness. At a literary festival, he said, "We never thought this money would be sufficient to complete the project. We wanted to create awareness and make people understand its importance."