Expensive electricity gives rise to inflation: PM Imran Khan

MANSEHRA: Lauding the Chinese and Pakistani engineers and workers for their joint efforts in construction of the 4,320-megawatt Dasu Hydropower Project, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the dam was of utmost importance for national development as it would meet the country's electricity needs at affordable and reasonable tariff. He said that expensive electricity gives rise to inflation.

"The construction of the dam is a difficult task for which I pay tributes to all the workers, including foreign engineers," the prime minister told a gathering of Pakistanis and Chinese engineers after visiting tunnels and other sections of the under-construction Dasu Dam in Upper Kohistan district.

He remarked that he hadn't realised that Dasu Dam was such a complex and difficult project. "I have also seen the long tunnel and it requires courage to work over there," he remarked.

He said that such mega projects should have been started long ago to overcome the electricity shortages in the country. He argued that Pakistan grew and its industries benefited about 50 years ago when Mangla and Tarbela dams were built but no other projects were undertaken later. He added that the Diamer-Basha dam too was a big hydroelectric project now under construction.

"Mangla and Tarbela dams provide clean and cheap electricity to the country and the industries in the country benefited from it. And the time is not far away when the country will have affordable electricity after completion of Dasu Dam and other projects," he added.

"Our economy has rapidly been growing and the acquisition of cheap electricity will meet the industrial and domestic needs and put the country on the way to prosperity," the prime minister pointed out.

Briefing the prime minister, Wapda Chairman retired Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain said that three more such dams with an overall electricity producing capacity of around 7,000 megawatts would be built on the Indus river in Pattan (Lower Kohistan), Thakot (Battagram) and Khairabad (Attock).

Dasu dam's first phase was going to be completed in 2025 and start supplying 2,160 megawatt electricity to the national grid, he said. "With the completion of the second phase in 2029, the dam's electricity production capacity will increase to 4,320 megawatts," he added.

He said that work on the project was well in progress and acquisition of the land for the construction of the dam and relevant projects and welfare schemes was already completed in accordance with the vision of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government.

"We have been utilising the country's water resources in a better way to put the country on the way to prosperity and development," said Muzammil Hussain.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz, IGP Muazam Jah Ansari, Commissioner Hazara Riaz Mehsud, DIG Police Hazara Mirvais Niaz, District Police Officer Arif Javed and other officials were also present on the occasion.