World Bank refuses to fund Diamer-Bhasha Dam

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

* WAPDA official tells NA committee India raised objections on Gilgit-Baltistan status
* Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal closed due to differences among provinces: IRSA

By Zeeshan Javaid

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has refused to fund the Diamer-Bhasha Dam due to, what they claim, is the controversial legal status of Gilgit-Baltistan territory.

The revelation was made by Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) official who was briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provisional Coordination on Friday.

The committee meeting was chaired by Mir Ahmedan Khan Bugti and discussed existing water sources and proposals for building new dams.

Briefing the committee about the status of the Diamer-Bhasha project, the WAPDA official informed the committee that due to objections raised by India over the legal reforms introduced in Gilgit-Baltistan, the World Bank had refused to finance the project.

The committee was further informed that over $30 to 40 billion would be required in the next 15 years to build dams in the country for generating electricity and for increasing water storage capacity.

“The bank’s refusal to provide funds has virtually endangered the practicability of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam on whose feasibility and technical reports huge amounts have already been spent since 2006,” sources privy to a high-level meeting later told Daily Times.

“The total cost of the Diamer-Bhasha dam is $12.6 billion (according to estimates in 2008) and it will have a storage capacity of 6.3 million acre feet of water. It will have a power generation capacity of 4,500 megawatts,” the sources said.

IRSA: Shafqat Masood, the Indus River System Regulatory Authority (IRSA) acting chairman, briefed the committee about the differences between Punjab and Sindh over Indus water distribution.

He told the committee members that the Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal had not yet been opened due to objections raised by provinces. However, he said IRSA had increased the water share of Sindh to 190,000 cusecs.