Pakistan

World Bank refuses to fund Bhasha Dam: Wapda

Wapda officials said the World Bank refused to fund Bhasha Dam because of Indian concerns.

Express July 02, 2010

Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) officials said the World Bank refused to fund Bhasha Dam because of Indian concerns.

They said the World Bank was of the opinion that Gilgit-Baltistan is a disputed territory and hence it could not fund any projects there.

This was said during a meeting between Wapda officials and the National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-coordination.

Wapda officials also said Pakistan's water reserves were dwindling and had decreased from 15.8 million acre feet to 11.6 million acre feet. They said the storage capacity of Mangla Dam had reduced by 15 per cent, Tarbela Dam by 30 per cent and Chashma Barrage by 63 per cent.

COMMENTS (4)

sobriquet | 14 years ago | Reply @Luqman Khawaja: The problem is elsewhere. Today there are nearly three times more people in Pakistan as there were in 1947. The way the population is developing, in the next 50 years there will be at least five times more people than there were 60 years ago (in West Pakistan), while due to climate change, the fresh water resources will shrink. Good luck. + @Mir, you should speak a little louder so that the deaf can hear you in Pakistan.

Asim Kaleem | 14 years ago | Reply What the hell is this world bank doing .......... they stopped funding for Thar coal project because its coal based and reason is the world is not supporting carbon emitting energy projects...... Now this one is hydel project ......... so because of Indian objection they are not helping ......... what about India's Bhagliar and other similar project ......... they should also raise voice as these projects are in conflicted region ........ Pakistan should realize that all these big donor agencies have indian influences as almost 50% of the employees are indian nationals and we must have to look for alternate options as they will never support those projects which help gets Pakistan economy better ...

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Mir | 14 years ago | Reply We have 0 influence with or wihtout these politicians. Right this moment we are the most expendable race in the world. If you want to save this country stop having children that you cannot feed, educate the ones you can and stop buying useless F16's that will be wiped out wihtin the first 3 days of a war. Build schools and roads, give up any dreams of being a super power till people understand the requiremements of a super power. Uneducated people are not required in this over populated world and what is going on with us is natures way of excreting a virus.

Luqman Khawaja | 14 years ago | Reply Pakistan is continually facing day by day water and power issues. Government of Pakistan, is trying to resolve these issues with the help of short term planning like rental power plants. Many Pakistanis including me believe that, these plants doesnot help us even in short term. Secondly, electricity produced from these, is so expensive that, it can't be affordable for home and specially commercial user. Now when we see the role of water and power minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, he first said, load shedding will be no more after december 2009 but all in vain and secondlly he said, by the use of rental power plants, there is no any subsequent difference in charges, but we see that, in the year 2010, six time electricity tarrifs increase and the sitution is becoming more worse and worse. After all this when we see the president of Pakistan for hope, we came to know that he has no any idea, planning and vision to resolve this key issue and he never ever want to discuss it. But after all this, we never ever loose hope, Pakistan remains in the map of world ever with or without these politicians with the help of Pakistani People. We have to stand on our own feet. India and America has the influence and Pakistanis has more influence then these so called stakeholders

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