Water minister inspects Tarbela intake structure

Reviews progress after early Nov incident at 5th Extension project

ISLAMABAD:

Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Mueen Wattoo on Saturday visited the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project in the aftermath of the intake incident of November 9.

He was accompanied by Additional Secretary Ministry of Water Resources Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah and IRSA Chairman Shafqat Hussain Wadho. Member (Water) Wapda Engineer Asim Rauf Khan, senior Wapda officers, and representatives of the contractor were also present on the occasion.

During the visit, the minister inspected the intake structure and other major components of the project. He reviewed the work underway at the site and sought updates from project teams on the pace and quality of the ongoing response.

The minister was informed that immediate response measures had been decided and remedial works were actively progressing at the site. The ongoing works were focused on stabilising the affected area, addressing the issue in a systematic manner and establishing preventive measures for the short, medium and long term to guard against any recurrence.

He emphasised that the remedial works should proceed with due care, close supervision and sustained coordination among all concerned teams. The contractor, consultants and Wapda teams expressed a shared assessment that, at present, the integrity of the main Tarbela Dam and its critical structures was not under threat. The minister stressed the importance of continued vigilance at the project site.

He directed the consultants, contractor and Wapda project team to accelerate the remedial works and prepare a contingency plan to avoid delay in completion of the project. He underlined that every effort should be made to keep the project on track while ensuring safety and quality at each stage.

The Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project is under construction at Tunnel No 5 of Tarbela Dam with a cumulative generation capacity of 1,530 megawatts.