Islamabad: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Monday was informed that construction work at the Diamer-Bhasha Dam is all set to begin soon — with all the prep work for the project already been completed, according to news sources. The premiere was told that all issues related to the venture — including a detailed roadmap of mobilization of financial resources and settlements — had been resolved.
The PM was provided these updates about the progress of pending issues related to the development of the dam while he was chairing a meeting on national water security and dams’ construction. The premiere was of the view that ensuring water security was the government’s first priority, and directed the authorities concerned to launch construction work on the dam project as soon as possible. He opined that the construction of dams would ensure optimal water utilization for agriculture and help “meet energy requirements at affordable rates”. The premiere also stressed the importance of launching the Sindh barrage project.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting (retired) Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa declared the Diamer-Bhasha Dam development to be of historic importance. He tweeted that the dam will prove to be “a huge stimulus for our economy, and will create 16,500 jobs, generate 4,500 MW hydel power, and irrigate 1.2 m acres of agricultural land — along with enhancing Tarbela dam’s age by 35 years”.
During the meeting, it was further revealed that by reducing sedimentation, the Diamer-Bhasha Dam would add 35 years to the life of the Tarbela Dam, and bring 1.23 million acres of land under irrigation. In addition, PKR 78.5 billion is expected to be spent on the social development of the areas surrounding the dam site — with the project also helping in mitigating the risk of floods and preventing monetary losses caused by flood damage.
Chairman Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) also took the opportunity to inform the meeting about the recently commenced development of the Mohmand Dam and the progress of the Dasu hydropower project. The meeting was told that the funds for the Naulong dam in Balochistan had been arranged and that the development work would be launched next year.
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