Work on Dasu dam to resume today

Work will return to life phase-wise after months of suspension due to 'security concerns'

KOHISTAN:

Work on the Dasu Dam project will resume from October 25 (today) after remaining stalled for months on account of "security reasons", Deputy Commissioner Kohistan Arif Khan Yousafzai confirmed on Sunday.

A statement by China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) issued in this regard stated that a phase-wise resumption of work will begin on October 25, adding that local employees will be called in phases.

While instructing the native workers to be prepared to report back to work, the firm said employees will be notified on the resumption of the work via telephone.

Following the announcement, Chinese engineers and foreigners working on the project visited the Dasu dam site. Meanwhile, employees of the Chinese company have been asked to bring results of the Covid-19 test along with vaccination records.

In the wake of the Dasu incident on July 14, the civil administration, Wapda and CGGC had decided with mutual consultation to suspend construction work on the project for certain before construction resumed in a more secure atmosphere.

Nine Chinese nationals and four locals were killed and 28 others injured when a coach carrying them to an under-construction tunnel site of the 4,300MW Dasu hydropower project fell into a ravine in the Upper Kohistan area after an explosion.

A team of Chinese investigators had arrived in Pakistan soon after the incident and interviewed a number of workers and other staff members of the project.

However, days later, the Chinese firm announced that it would continue carrying out work on the project after the visiting Chinese investigation team inspected the site.