Pakistan may lose 13% of water to Neelum Jhelum River as India tries to control water flow with the construction of Kishanganga Dam on the river, says Managing Director of Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Company Lieutenant General (retd) Muhammad Zubair.
Giving a briefing to the National Assembly Committee on Economic Affairs here on Friday, he estimated that the financial impact of 13% water loss would be $141 million per annum.
India is building 14 dams, which will negatively impact Pakistan and enable Delhi to control water flow from Mangla Dam as well.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Zubair pointed out that the loss figures were quoted by the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) in a study.
He said the government had completed 40% work on the Neelum Jhelum hydropower project and asked the committee to intervene to get dues of Rs83 billion released. Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) has to pay this amount for power purchase.
“If Rs2 billion is released every month, then the Neelum Jhelum project can be completed successfully without any delay,” he said.
The committee asked the Ministry of Finance to release Rs2 billion a month in order to help complete the project on time.
Zubair said in order to accelerate work tunnel boring machines had been deployed on the project site and work would start from October 16.
He told the panel that the deficit of Rs90 billion in the project would be met through 50% financing by the government and the remaining 50% through foreign loans.
According to Zubair, the feasibility and detailed engineering design of the project was completed in 1997 as per seismic parameters established before the earthquake of 2005. After that, a revised PC-1 was prepared, which increased the project cost to Rs274.88 billion compared to the original PC-1, which was approved in 2002 with cost estimated at Rs84.502 billion.
The project was sent by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) for approval of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on June 18.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2012.
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