Mohmand Dam project: Wapda chairman calls for ensuring completion of diversion scheme

GHALLANAI: Wapda Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Sajjad Ghani on Thursday visited the under-construction Mohmand Dam project and directed the contractor to ensure completion of the diversion system during the up-coming low-flow season for diversion of Swat River.

The chairman visited various construction sites of the project to review the progress achieved so far. He witnessed concrete works on upper stilling basin of the spillway and observed the construction activities at left and right abutments of the dam and various components of the diversion system including the diversion tunnels.

The general manager, project director, the consultants and the contractors of the dam were also present on the occasion.Later in a briefing, schedule for diversion scheme, resource loaded programme for quarry development, stockpiling and dam filling as well as activity-wise resource loaded programme for the whole project were discussed.

The Wapda chairman said that achieving the key milestones on time is inevitable for completion of Mohmand Dam Project in accordance with the schedule. He emphasised upon the project team, the contractors in particular, to make concerted efforts in this regard.

WAPDA is constructing Mohmand Dam Project across Swat River in Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the 5th highest concrete-face-rock-fill dam in the world. The dam will store water for agriculture, control floods, supply water to Peshawar for urban use and generate green, clean and economically affordable hydel electricity. The project is scheduled for completion in 2026-27.

With a gross water storage capacity of 1.29 MAF, Mohmand Dam will irrigate 18,233 acres of new land in Mohmand and Charsadda, besides supplementing irrigation supplies to 160,000 acres of existing land. Installed power capacity of the project stands at 800 MW with annual energy generation of 2.86 billion units. The project will also provide 300 million gallons of water per day to Peshawar for drinking purposes.