Contractors moving to Diamer-Bhasha Dam site

Federal water resources minister satisfied with pace of project

ISLAMABAD: The Diamer-Bhasha Dam contactors have started mobilising to the project site and its construction will start soon, the participants of a meeting held at the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Complex were informed on Wednesday.

Federal Water Resources Minister Faisal Vawda presided over the meeting to review the implementation plan of the project. The other participants included Wapda Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain, member (water) and project general manager Amir Bashir Chaudhry, consultants and contractors .

Vawda expressed his satisfaction over the pace of the project despite the Covid-19 pandemic slowing down routine activities.

The minister noted that following the signing of the project’s contract last month, work was continuing at a good pace that reflected the government’s commitment to the construction of mega dams to avert the looming water crisis in the country and add low-cost hydel electricity to the national grid.

The minister directed the consultants and contractors to adhere to the timelines specified in the plan so that the project could be completed in time.

The Wapda chairman, dilating upon the construction schedule, briefed about the major milestones of the implementation plan.

He informed the meeting that the contactors had been mobilising to the site after the signing of the contract last month while the construction of the dam would start soon.

He added that the work on the infrastructure development in the project area was being carried out at a good pace.

The chairman said Wapda was committed to completing the dam in accordance with the stipulated time frame.

The dam will not only help generate low-cost hydel electricity for the economic development of the country, but also provide water to the agricultural sector and mitigate floods.

The project has a gross storage capacity of 8.1million acre feet (MAF) and power generation capacity of 4,500 megawatt (MW), with an annual generation of 18.1 billion units per annum. The construction of the project will enhance life of Tarbela Dam by 35 years.

Last month,   an agreement worth Rs442 billion with a joint venture of Power China and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) was signed on Wednesday for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam.

It included a diversion system, the main dam, an access bridge and a 21-megawatt Tangir hydroelectric power project.

Wapda has already awarded the contract for consultancy services for the Diamer-Bhasha dam worth Rs27.182 billion to Diamer-Bhasha Consultants Group (DBCG). The consultancy agreement includes construction design, construction supervision and contract administration for the project. The DBCG joint venture comprises 12 top-ranked national and foreign consulting firms.