Chiniot dam to meet needs of Faisalabad industries

FCCI chief says dam location is ideal; it can be built at minimum cost

FAISALABAD: The interest expressed by the federal government in building five new dams, including the Chiniot dam, is a positive sign which will help overcome the impending water crisis in the country, said Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) President Syed Zia Alumdar Hussain.

He recalled that the Faisalabad Chamber had extended a proposal for constructing the Chiniot dam about a decade ago.

"Following that, the previous government stepped up efforts to construct the dam while the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) conducted a comprehensive feasibility study," he said, according to a statement issued by the FCCI.



Hussain pointed out that the dam would have storage capacity of 0.85 million acre feet, which could be utilised for irrigation during drought-like conditions.

Suggesting that it might assist the government avoid flood-induced losses, he noted that water availability was necessary to meet industrial needs of Faisalabad, a rapidly growing city.

The FCCI president was of the view that location of the Chiniot dam was ideal for the construction of a water reservoir at a minimum cost.

Discussing the feasibility report, he revealed that it would be an earth-filled dam with a height of 60 feet. "It can also generate 80 megawatts of cheap electricity," he said. "The estimated cost is approximately Rs146.3 million and hence, there is no need of foreign aid for construction."



He pointed out that new canals could also be dug on the right and left banks for irrigating huge terrains of unclaimed land in the Faisalabad Division. Hussain asked the government to immediately initiate construction work as any unnecessary delay would escalate the construction cost.

He will also meet the Wapda chairman to discuss the preliminary formalities required for the construction of the dam. "The issue of upgrading the Wapda Engineering Academy into a full-fledged university will also be discussed," he said, adding that spade work had already been completed in that regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2019.

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