Diamer-Bhasha, Mohmand dams secretariat set up

ISLAMABAD: Following the Supreme Court’s last week historic judgment for expediting work on construction of two dams, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has established a secretariat in Islamabad for the Implementation Committee of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams (ICDBMD), as work on the two major dams is going to start this financial year.

Chairman Wapda Lt Gen (R) Muzammil Hussain will serve as the committee chairman, while Joint Secretary Ministry of Water Resources Syed Mehar Ali Shah would be its Secretary, said the Wapda spokesperson.

The committee will meet at its secretariat on July 12, he said. Meanwhile, Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (R) called on Prime Minister Justice (Retd) Nasirul Mulk and briefed him about the issues of water and hydropower sectors in the country.

The prime minister was also apprised of Wapda projects, particularly Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams. The prime minister was briefed that construction work on the two dams would be started in fiscal year 2018-19.

Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project has a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF and power generation capacity of 4,500 MW. Likewise, Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project will store 1.2 MAF water and generate 800MW electricity.

The 1410 MW- Tarbela 5th Extension, the 2160 MW-Stage II of Dasu, the 7100 MW-Bunji and the Stage II of multipurpose Kurram Tangi Dam are among the ready-for-construction projects.

Dilating upon the efforts made by Wapda to meet the increasing requirements of water and electricity, the chairman said Wapda completed four mega projects from August 2017 onwards to irrigate 72,000 acres of virgin land in Dera Bugti, Balochistan and add 2487MW hydel power to the National Grid.

These projects included Phase 1 of Kachhi Canal, Golen Gol, Tarbela 4th Extension and Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project. Stage 1 of Kurram Tangi Dam Project will be completed in 2020, while the 2160 MW – Stage 1 of Dasu Hydropower Project is scheduled to start electricity generation by 2023. The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the measures being taken by Wapda for implementation of its projects in water and hydropower sectors.