Sindh govt has not paid its dues on Hub Dam: WAPDA official

Out of Rs1b spent on Hub Dam for maintenance and operation, Sindh govt has paid only Rs100m

KARACHI: The Sindh government owes the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) around Rs1 billion which had been spent on the Hub Dam over the last 40 years. The provincial government has been issued reminders several times but no cooperation has been forthcoming on their end.

The provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan are responsible for the management and maintenance of the dam after the passage of the 18th Amendment, but according to WAPDA Additional Chief Engineer and Hub Dam Project Director Muhammad Ehtishamul Haq, the federal authority has been bearing the brunt of the Sindh government's lack of cooperation.

Out of the Rs1b spent on the Hub Dam for maintenance and operation, the Sindh government has paid only Rs100 million. Haq expressed these views while talking to the media during his recent visit to Hub Dam.



Haq said that this project belongs to both the provinces, Sindh and Balochistan, since 2012 but the federal authority has been unable to pay the salaries of employees posted at Hub Dam due to the non-payment by Sindh government.

Out of 350 employees, only 107 remain posted there including 30 staffers for security, he said adding that it was difficult to manage the dam with such less people.

Besides, the dam has never filled to its full capacity since 2007, he said. Haq informed that 276 feet is the dead level and only three feet of water is permissible to be extracted. Extracting more than that amount endangers the dam, he added.



WAPDA is responsible for guarding and repairing the 5.2 kilometre canal connected with the dam while other canals belong to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and Balochistan.

The WAPDA official expressed his displeasure over the Sindh government's attitude. He claimed that the provincial government only gave assurances but nothing was done practically.

When asked why WAPDA does not stop the water supply if the Sindh government was not paying the money, the WAPDA official stated that they could not do that but they requested WAPDA's senior officials to give administrative control to the governments of either provinces so that they could be spared. It has become extremely difficult to work with this financial crisis, he maintained.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2019.