Senator asks KP govt to resume work on dams

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehree­k-e-Insaf (PTI) central leader Senator Dost Muhammed Me­h­sud has called upon the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to immediately start construction work on three dams in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts.

The three proposed dams including Tank Zam Dam, Chodwan Dam and Daraban Dam are supposed to be used for irrigation as well as power generation purposes and would be a game-changer in terms of bringing about a green revolution in the much neglected southern region, which face severe water scarcity. The dams, if built in time, would not only ensure food security for the whole of KP, including Tank and DI Khan but also erstwhile Fata, besides effectively controlling the seasonal flooding that wreaks havoc every year apart from, generating viable socio-economic opportunities for the poverty-stricken people.

Moreover, he said the work on the Khurram Tangi Dam may also be expedited to bring about barren lands of Lakki Marwat, Pezu and parts of Bannu and Karak under cultivation.The dam is expected to generate more than 75 megawatts of electricity. He also stressed the need to construct small dams in the water scarcity-hit district of Karak on the perennial and seasonal nullahs with the view to effectively tackle the water issue for irrigation and drinking water, and helping in improving the water table, which is heading towards catastrophic low levels. Senator Dost Muhammed Mehsud appreciated the leadership of Chief Minister Mahmud Khan who was paying attention towards the underdeveloped areas of the KP, especially the Southern region and parts of ex-Fata.

He hoped that these projects would usher in a new era of economic development and prosperity by removing their longstanding grievances since the Independence when they had to undergo stepmotherly treatment at the hands of successive governments.