Work on two powerhouses inaugurated in Dir

DIR: Work on two micro-hydro powerhouses, having 30-kilowatt capacity each, were inaugurated in Katan Bala and Jabbar areas of the picturesque Usheri Darra in Upper Dir district on Sunday.

The Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO), in collaboration with non-governmental organisations Creative Community Development Programme (CCDP) and Dir Area Development Organisation (DADO), installed the powerhouses.

Provincial Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan and Jamaat-e-Islami’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Sahibzada Tariqullah inaugurated the powerhouses. District Nazim of Upper Dir, Sahibzada Faseehullah, PEDO director, Wajeed Nawaz, CCDP’s chief engineer, Muhammad Khaliq, DADO’s chief executive Abid Khan, district councillor from Jabbar UC Biradar Khan, and elders of the area were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the ceremony, Tariqullah said the area was underdeveloped and the residents had been facing difficulties due to massive loadshedding. Senior Minister Inayatullah said the provincial government had decided to set up 350 hydropower projects across the province and 44 of them were being installed in Upper Dir alone.

He said the provincial government was making efforts to resolve energy crisis in the province.PEDO director Wajeed Nawaz and chief engineer of CCDP Muhammad Khaliq said that the two powerhouses, with capacity of 60 kilowatts electricity, would benefit thousands of the local population.