‘Construction of 4,500MW Diamer-Bhasha Dam to begin in four months’

ISLAMABAD: Civil work on 4,500 megawatts Diamer-Bhasha Dam would start in next three to four months after award of civil and consultancy services. Evaluation of proposals for consultancy and bids for civil works are in advanced stages.

Wapda Chairman Lt. Gen (R) Muzammil Hussian said this on Tuesday while chairing a meeting of Wapda/ Implementation Committee on Diamer-Bhasha, Mohmand Dams (ICDBMD). The meeting was called to discuss various matters relating to land acquisition and resettlement, procurement and financing of both projects.

It is worth mentioning that the total cost of Diamer-Bhasha dam is around 1,400 billion. Out of it, initially part of construction of reservoir would cost Rs474 billion, in which the government would have to provide Rs232 billion while remaining amount would be arranged by Wapda. ICDBMD Sub Committees on Land Acquisition, Finance and Procurement for Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams made their presentations on the respective issues during the meeting.

Expressing satisfaction over the pace of development on Mohmand Dam, the Wapda chairman said that construction activities on the project have gained momentum in the wake of its ground breaking by the prime minister in May this year.

The Sub-Committee on Land Acquisition for Mohmand Dam briefed the meeting that the priority land for the project has already been acquired, while the process for acquisition of remaining land, being made in a phased manner, is expected to be completed in couple of months.

The sub-committee apprised the meeting that more than 32,000 acres of land for the Project has been acquired so far. The meeting was further briefed that confidence building measures (CBMs) worth Rs14 billion as social and environmental safeguard are being implemented for health, education, energy and infrastructure development in the project area.

The Sub-Committee on Procurement made a detailed deliberation about the Procurement processes for both the dams, while the Sub-Committee on Finance informed the meeting of the financial models for both projects with lesser reliance on public exchequer and more focus on alternate financing strategies including indigenous resources.