The Kalabagh Dam Project (KDP) has always remain apple of discord since it initiation. Only Punjab is the province that is in favor of this project. The other three provinces have expressed dissatisfaction and their provisional assemblies have passed resolutions against the KDP. The main argument of the project opponents is the environmental security. Unfortunately Government of Pakistan failed to convince the KDP stake holders. It reflects a crisis of governance, where decision-makers are at odds with an increasingly vocal society.Main reasons for failure of Government of Pakistan in developing the consensus among various stake holders are as under;

1. Viability of KDP is premised on water availability figures that are highly questionable. WAPDA, itself- the generic source - has sown confusion on this issue. It cites two average flow figures; 123 Million Acre feet (MAF) and 143 MAF (SEBCON/SCR, 1998: Clearly, many questions remain unanswered, despite WAPDA's authoritative claims. Potential water availability needs to be reviewed in a more complete manner, taking system losses into account. It is still not clear whether Kalabagh represents additionally or a replacement for lost storage capacity. 2. Crop yield increases based on additional water do not account for the aggravated water logging and salinity that would result; furthermore, higher doses of water are associated with high input use, which degrades both soil, and water quality. Using existing water more efficiently is clearly a better option. 3. After the commotion over private power, the government began to hype up Kalabagh as an alternative source of cheap and clean energy. Hydel energy is not unequivocally cheaper, given the growing propensity to factor in displacement and environmental costs. Also, borrowing costs are likely to be higher as donors have indicated a clear preference for thermal power projects. 4. Government did not presented solid alternative solution to rectify the issue that KDP would further exacerbate ecosystem degradation, adding to mangrove and species loss and impoverishing communities, which depend on the ecosystem's resources.5. As an instrument of flood control Kalabagh was poorly supported by the historical evidence.