Fortunate to be part of mega Diamer-Bhasha dam project: Faisal Vawda

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda said on Wednesday that he is fortunate to be part of the mega Diamer-Bhasha dam construction project.

Speaking at a press conference, he said the construction work on the dam has started as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, lamenting that those opposing construction of dams in the country pushed the nation 50 years behind.

“Allah Almighty gave me an opportunity to complete the project that previously existed only on papers,” Faisal Vawda said. He announced he will take media teams to the construction site after upcoming Eidul Fitr.

Taking aim at opposition parties, the minister said they are perturbed over the government’s decision to start the construction work on the dam because they haven’t built any water reservoir during their stint in power.

Faisal Vawda disclosed the government spent Rs78 billion on development of the area where the dam is being constructed.

Last week, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) awarded the contract for construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam. An agreement worth Rs442 billion was signed with a joint venture namely Power China-FWO for the construction of diversion system, main dam, access bridge and 21MW Tangir Hydropower Project.

Diamer-Basha Dam Chief Executive Officer Amir Bashir Chaudhry and authorized representative Yang Jiandu, signed the agreement on behalf of WAPDA and the joint venture respectively.