Fire near Tarbela sparks calls for in-depth analysis

WAPDA chairman lays stress on safety and protection of project.

LAHORE:

The chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has called for devising a comprehensive strategy and conducting an in-depth analysis of the cause of the fire close to the Tarbela Dam in order to avert such an eventuality in future.

“Side-by-side smooth functioning of the project, the safety and protection of this national asset ought to be the foremost priority of the project management,” Shakil Durrani said during a visit to the project site on Saturday aimed at examining the situation after the fire.

The fire broke out on Thursday night in the jungle adjacent to the dam, which had been playing a pivotal role in national economy since its completion in mid-70s.

Durrani made a detailed evaluation of various components of the project, particularly the switchyard and the power station.

According to the project authorities, the fire erupted in the bushes and trees below the distribution transformers because of sparks following high winds. However, the fire was put out through concerted efforts.

No damage was caused to any Wapda installation, as all the equipment was immediately protected from the fire, it was told.

Later, Durrani also attended a briefing on Tarbela’s 4th Extension hydropower project. In this regard, expressions of interest (EoI) had been called to initiate a pre-qualification process for construction as detailed engineering design of the project had been completed.

This extension project with a generation capacity of 1,410 megawatts is part of a least-cost energy generation plan of Wapda. The World Bank is providing $840 million for construction of the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2012.