Mangla Dam: WAPDA pays remaining compensation to AJK

Capacity of reservoir also enhanced.

LAHORE: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has paid the remaining amount of Rs3 billion to the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on account of compensation for the residents affected by the Mangla Dam raising project.

According to Wapda, complete payment for land acquisition and property for the Mangla Dam project has now been made and the AJK government has started disbursement of the amount to the affected people. The process will be completed by the end of next month and after that the displaced people will be given sufficient time to construct houses on alternative locations.

Wapda said the development has paved the way for filling the Mangla Dam, whose capacity had been increased in 2009 but water storage could not be started due to non-payment of compensation money caused by the financial crunch. Now, Wapda has planned to start test-filling of the water reservoir up to 1,230 feet above mean sea level this year.  The Mangla Dam raising project is being completed at a revised cost of Rs101 billion, out of which Rs64 billion has been allocated for resettlement of residents alone.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2011.