PM Imran to visit Diamer-Basha dam project next week

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit the construction site of Diamer-Basha Dam Project next week to review construction activities there.

Work has begun on Diamer Basha Dam, a multi-purpose reservoir that is being constructed on River Indus. The project is aimed at addressing water storage for agriculture, mitigating flood threat and generating cheaper power.

It will have a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 million acre feet (MAF) to irrigate 1.23 million acres of additional land. The project with an installed power generation capacity of 4500 megawatts (MW) will provide more than 18 billion units per annum to the national grid.

In May, 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.