Umerkot: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah laid the foundation stone for the country’s biggest water infrastructure project under the public-private partnership model – at a total cost of PKR 182 billion, according to a news story published in the leading newspaper on June 5.
As per the details, the water infrastructure project will provide water to the Independent Power Producer (IPP) for producing 1,650 MW of coal-fired power in Thar Block-I. CM Murad Ali Shah, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, mentioned that it is the largest and first-ever water delivery project in the country, which will bring direct foreign investment.
The ceremony was held at the Nabirsar area, near Umerkot and was attended by Consul General of Kuwait Salim Yusif Al Hamdan, Chairman Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company Mohammad Al Fares, CM Special Assistant on Investment Syed Qasim Naveed, CEO of Kuwaiti Company Enertech Holding Company Abdulla Al Mutairi, CEO Enertech Water Private Ltd Yasser Malik, Minister for Education Syed Sardar Shah, Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro, MNAs Mir Munawwar Talpur, Dr Mahesh Malani, Provincial Minister for Energy Imtiaz Shaikh, Chinese experts working on the project and local notables.
Moreover, the CM mentioned that a canal will be constructed, from the Farsh X-regulator to Nabisar, to discharge 200 cusecs water. It was disclosed that the 45 cusecs out of 200 cusecs will be provided to the IPPs for Thar Coal Block-I while the remaining will be provided to Nabisar for agricultural purposes. He further added that the Concession Agreement was signed with the Kuwaiti Investment Company — M/s Enertech Water Pvt. Ltd — on June 26, 2021.
Under the agreement, the Kuwaiti company will construct the 60.7-kilometre pipeline, from Nabisar to Vajihar and two reservoirs with the capacity of 45 cusecs each. It was also mentioned in the agreement that the private partner will set up a 4.8 MW Power Generation system for 48 cusecs pumping stations. Also, a Water Treatment System of 51 cusecs will be developed that will include flocculation and filtration to get the required water quality.
Reportedly, CM Murad revealed that the Project’s Transaction Structure has won global awards for ‘Most Innovative Deal of the Year’ and ‘Pakistan Deal of the Year’. The project is expected to be completed within one year.
Iqra holds BS in International Relations and is passionate about writing engaging content on trending real estate topics. When not working, she is either spending time with family, shopping, or discussing shows & movies.
