Damaged hydropower project to be restored soon: official

MANSEHRA: The electricity supply from the Ranolia hydropower project, which was affected by the recent flash floods in Lower Kohistan, would shortly be restored, an official said on Friday.

“The electricity supply suspended from the Ranolia hydropower project after the recent flash floods would soon be restored,” Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation Chief Executive Naeem Khan said while speaking to reporters after visiting the project in Lower Kohistan.

Flanked by the Chinese engineers and officials of Pedo, Naeem Khan visited the affected portion of the project and said that rehabilitation was started after the engineers and experts completed its damage survey.

“Our province has been earning Rs416 million annually from this project besides meeting the country’s electricity requirements,” he said.

The Pedo’s chief executive said his organisation was working on a war footing to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply to the national grid.

Meanwhile, the Lower Kohistan administration would shortly release the data on the total number of houses that were washed away by the floods.

“We have completed a survey of almost 90 per cent of the houses and other damage caused by the floods in our district,” said Shakeel Ahmad, the deputy commissioner.

He said that survey

was being carried out under the guidelines and criteria set by the National Disaster Management Authority.

“We are estimating the total area (land) washed away by the floods in the Pattan and Ranolia tehsils in the district,” Shakeel Ahmad said. He said the owners of the damaged house would be compensated as per the government policy.