Land acquisition for dam substantially completed

WAPDA chairman stresses this will accelerate pace of construction activities

LAHORE:

Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Sajjad Ghani on Tuesday said that the pace of construction work on Dasu hydropower project will be further accelerated as a long-delayed process of land acquisition has been substantially completed.

He expressed these views during a visit to the project site where he observed that the acquisition of land was a major obstacle in the way of speedy implementation of the project.

He appreciated the efforts made by the project management and the support rendered by the district administration and the provincial government to resolve the issue.

The Wapda chairman also comprehensively examined the starter dam and the under-ground power house.

In a briefing by the general manager/ project director and project managers, the chairman was apprised that the river diversion system was functioning satisfactorily during the recent high-flow season.

Besides, a 1.3km-long left bank flushing tunnel had also been temporarily opened last week for enabling traffic to bypass the main dam site and facilitate the excavation of dam abutment at the left bank.

The excavation of intake, power house, tail-race tunnel, surge chamber and transformers cavern was also in progress.

The 4,320-megawatt Dasu hydropower project is planned to be completed in two stages. The under-construction 2,160MW stage-I is set to start electricity generation in 2026.

Earlier, the Wapda chairman visited the site of Diamer-Basha dam to review construction activities at key locations. Diamer-Basha dam CEO, GM and representatives of consultants and contractors were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2023.

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