PM Imran to break ground of Mohamand Dam in January

Project will generate 800MW and store water to irrigate 17,000 acres of barren land

ISLAMABAD: In order to ensure water security in the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate Mohmand Dam in the first week of January next year. It is due to be completed in the next five-year period.

Addressing a press conference, Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda said it was good news for the nation that the 54-year old Mohmand Dam was moving towards resolution. He lauded the army chief’s efforts to ensure peace in the militancy hit area, where the dam is located, which enabled the government to start work on the project.

The inauguration ceremony will also be attended by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa. Vawda said the dam would not only generate 800 megawatts (MW) of electricity but would also store water to irrigate 17,000 acres of barren land. It would also meet the requirement of Peshawar for the coming generations, he added.

The minister said the government would require Rs300 to Rs315 billion to finance this project and the entire amount would be arranged from local resources, adding that no international funding was taken to implement this project.

Responding to a question, he said the government did not need foreign funding, adding that if required, it would be sought for hydel projects, as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had left the exchequer empty.

Also speaking on the occasion, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Muzammil Hussain said hydel projects were important for the country but due to negligence in the past focus had been increased on independent power producers (IPPs).

He said that since 1967, no work on projects like Tarbela dam was initiated, which was a criminal negligence. This project is located in an area where Kabul and Swat rivers meet, Hussain informed, adding that it would mitigate floods and water for agriculture would be available in the area.

The Wapda chairman said that local people had supported the project, which showed that militancy was not an indigenous issue.

Regarding the funding, he said it would be arranged through Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), equity and commercial funds. Commenting on the effort made to begin work, he said Pakistan army had controlled militancy and the chief justice had assisted to resolve litigations to start work on this dam.

The chairman said the Dasu project had been stuck for a while due to unavailability of land and financing. However, the K-P government and local people were on board and the issue had been resolved. The first phase of this dam would be completed by 2022-23, Hussain added.

Water Resources Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja said Pakistan had approached the World Bank as a third party to address concerns of Pakistan on Kishanganga and Ratle projects. He said the international lender had given some suggestions and the attorney general of Pakistan was looking into it.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2018.

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