WAPDA chairman, Commander 10 Corps visit Diamer Basha Dam

LAHORE: Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Muzammil Hussain has visited the multi-purpose Diamer Basha Dam today and reviewed the construction work on the project, ARY News reported on Sunday.

Commander 10 Corps Pakistan Army Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza also accompanied him during the visit. WAPDA GM (Land Accusation & Resettlement) Brig (Retd) Shoaib Taqi, GM (Diamer Basha Dam Project) Muhammad Yousuf Rao and representatives of the Consultants and the Contractors were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, the WAPDA chairman said that the Diamer Basha Dam is one of the most significant projects for sustained development in Pakistan as it would provide water for agriculture, mitigate floods and generate low-cost electricity, therefore, concerted efforts are needed on part of all the stakeholders for its scheduled completion in 2028-29.

WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Muzammil Hussain, while referring to the benefits of Diamer Basha Dam, said that the project will change the destiny of the nation by stabilising the economy and alleviating poverty from the country.

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He said that the project is also turning out to be a game-changer for the locals, as a hefty amount of Rs78.5 billion is being spent on various development schemes as Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in the project area.

WAPDA chairman and Commander 10 Corps have witnessed the construction activities while visiting the various sites of the project.

Commander 10 Corps, while addressing on the occasion today, said that he is pleased to witness the construction activities on Diamer Basha Dam, which is a project of national importance.

Reiterating the support of the Pakistan Army for the construction of the Diamer Basha Dam, he said that we stand committed to providing a safe and secure environment in the project area so as to enable its management to smoothly continue construction activities on all sites.

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A briefing was given by the project authorities regarding the progress on the construction work, according to the WAPDA’s press statement.

The officials said that the construction work is currently being carried out simultaneously on eight different sites including access roads, permanent access bridge across River Indus downstream of the Main Dam, 21 MW-Tangir hydropower project, excavation of dam abutment from the top, diversion tunnel, diversion canal, diversion inlet and power intake.

A detailed deliberation was also made about the CBMs being taken by WAPDA for well being of the locals relating to health, education, tourism, and infrastructure development in the project area.

READ: PM INAUGURATES WORK ON DIAMER-BASHA DAM, SAYS PAKISTAN HAS HUGE POTENTIAL FOR HYDEL POWER

“More than 16,500 employment opportunities will be created during construction of the project in a phased manner. The people residing in the project area are being given priority for the jobs, as about 3,200 locals have already been employed at the project by WAPDA, the consultants and the contractors.

Diamer Basha Dam is being constructed on River Indus 40 Kilometer (Km) downstream of Chilas town and 180 Km upstream of Tarbela Dam.

Diamer Basha Dam will have a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF to irrigate 1.23 million acres of additional land. With an installed power generation capacity of 4,500 MW, the project will provide more than 18 billion units per annum to the National Grid.

The construction of Diamer Basha Dam will also have a positive impact on the annual energy generation of the existing hydel power stations including Tarbela and Ghazi Bartoha that will increase by another 2.5 billion units.

In addition, the life of Tarbela Dam will also increase by another 35 years that has been playing a pivotal role in the progress of the country since 1974.