Work on Diamer Basha may start this year

[LahoreEstate]

LAHORE: The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) is executing different water projects with a combined storage capacity of 11 million acre feet (MAF) while other projects with capacity of 14 MAF are at planning stage.

WAPDA Chairman Shakil Durrani stated this while addressing a delegation of the Armed Forces War Course of the National Defence University (NDU) Islamabad during its visit to the WAPDA House.

Describing salient features of Diamer Basha dam, the WAPDA chairman termed it an exceptionally good project with useable storage capacity of 6.4 MAF and a power generation capacity of 4,500 megawatts. Pre-qualification of construction companies including European, Chinese, Malaysian and Turkish firms was under process and construction work on the project would likely start this year, he said.

Dilating on the slow pace of hydropower development during the last 30 years, he said “WAPDA now is more focused in this regard.” Construction work on 969MW Neelum Jhelum hydroelectric project started last year while 4,500MW Diamer Basha and 106MW Golen Gol were ready for construction.

Besides these, 1,100MW Kohala, 5,400MW Bunji, 3,600MW Dasu and some other projects would be taken up for construction by next year, he added.

Briefing the delegation, WAPDA Adviser on Diamer Basha dam Dr Izhar-ul-Haq said Pakistan had developed only 13 per cent storage capacity for annual river flows and that too had dropped to 9 per cent due to silting in existing reservoirs. In view of the alarming per capita water availability, Pakistan had no option but to construct mega water reservoirs, he asserted.

Dr Izhar revealed that another 20 million acres of virgin land could be brought under cultivation provided water was made available by constructing new dams.

Pakistan Electric Power Co Adviser Salim Arif told the delegation that 4,000MW of electricity would hopefully be added to the national grid by December. He said the government had planned to generate an additional 10,000MW by year 2012 through the private and public sector.

At the conclusion of the briefing, the WAPDA chairman presented a souvenir to the head of NDU delegation.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=158179