In a rut: WB, WAPDA fail to woo elders for dam’s construction
Locals refuse to allow resumption of work on Dasu Hydropower Project
KOHISTAN:
The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and World Bank (WB) had hopes of a breakthrough when they met elders and requested their cooperation in the continuation of construction work on the government’s much trumpeted Dasu Hydropower project (DHPP).
However, Thursday’s meeting between Wapda and World Bank representatives and a jirga led by Malik Mannan Shah, Haji Samandar Khan and Malik Qadam Khan seemed to exude no signs of the impasse having reached a resolution.
The jirga reiterated the previous demands of landowners, asking Wapda to pay landowners for their properties according to market rates. The elders said authorities have fixed Rs700,000 per kanal while the going market rate stood at Rs3.5-4 million in Kohistan. They also demanded job quotas, education for their children and resettlement facilities.
Bone of contention
On June 25, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the megaproject, assuring affectees of addressing their concerns amid protests.
On September 21, a tribal jirga had announced to halt construction work on the project for an indefinite period, demanding the government to give in to their 18-point charter of demands. This was the third instance that construction had been stalled on the megaproject.
The project
According to official documents, DHPP is being constructed along River Indus, seven kilometres upstream of Dasu, headquarters of Kohistan district, with a production capacity of 4,320 megawatts.
Development has been divided into two stages. The first includes land acquisition, re-assimilation of affectees, environmental and social management and the installation of six units contributing 2,160MW of production capacity.
The total cost of Stage-I is estimated to be Rs486.1 billion with a completion time of five years. The WB has agreed to finance Stage-I with US$1.05 billion while the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the PC-I for Stage-I in a meeting held on March 28, 2014.
The second stage includes the installation of the remaining six units that will produce another 2,160 MW, and will begin once Stage-I is complete.
A total of 30 resettlement sites have been identified and finalised with the consultation of the affected people. The master plan and survey of eight sites has also been completed. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed willingness to fund certain portions of the project, sources revealed.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2014.
The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and World Bank (WB) had hopes of a breakthrough when they met elders and requested their cooperation in the continuation of construction work on the government’s much trumpeted Dasu Hydropower project (DHPP).
However, Thursday’s meeting between Wapda and World Bank representatives and a jirga led by Malik Mannan Shah, Haji Samandar Khan and Malik Qadam Khan seemed to exude no signs of the impasse having reached a resolution.
The jirga reiterated the previous demands of landowners, asking Wapda to pay landowners for their properties according to market rates. The elders said authorities have fixed Rs700,000 per kanal while the going market rate stood at Rs3.5-4 million in Kohistan. They also demanded job quotas, education for their children and resettlement facilities.
Bone of contention
On June 25, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the megaproject, assuring affectees of addressing their concerns amid protests.
On September 21, a tribal jirga had announced to halt construction work on the project for an indefinite period, demanding the government to give in to their 18-point charter of demands. This was the third instance that construction had been stalled on the megaproject.
The project
According to official documents, DHPP is being constructed along River Indus, seven kilometres upstream of Dasu, headquarters of Kohistan district, with a production capacity of 4,320 megawatts.
Development has been divided into two stages. The first includes land acquisition, re-assimilation of affectees, environmental and social management and the installation of six units contributing 2,160MW of production capacity.
The total cost of Stage-I is estimated to be Rs486.1 billion with a completion time of five years. The WB has agreed to finance Stage-I with US$1.05 billion while the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the PC-I for Stage-I in a meeting held on March 28, 2014.
The second stage includes the installation of the remaining six units that will produce another 2,160 MW, and will begin once Stage-I is complete.
A total of 30 resettlement sites have been identified and finalised with the consultation of the affected people. The master plan and survey of eight sites has also been completed. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed willingness to fund certain portions of the project, sources revealed.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2014.