Diamer Bhasha Dam: Another Historic Milestone for Pakistan

Another milestone in the history of the country as Diamer Bhasha Dam has entered into the construction phase. The important role of FWO in the construction of the dam and the local resources will be used to build the dam

The dam will be 272 meters high and 14 spillways will be constructed and generating cheap electricity from the dam will save the exchequer an additional Rs 270 billion.

78.50 billion will be spent under social measures in the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project area. The highest dam will be a manifestation of Pak-China friendship and the construction of Diamer Bhasha will boost tourism in Kohistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The foundation stone of this important project was laid by Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 2, 2019, which has certainly great news to the people in this worrying situation of the coronavirus.

Just two days after this historic announcement of the Prime Minister, on May 13, WAPDA took practical steps for this grand project and also awarded Power China and FWOCO this project for Pakistan’s economic development and social prosperity at a cost of Rs 442 billion.

This will include the construction of a diversion system for the main dam project, a bridge and a 21-megawatt Tangier hydropower project. The project, to be built on the Indus River in Kohistan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer District of Gilgit-Baltistan, is the third-largest dam in Pakistan with a storage capacity of more than 8.1 million acre-feet and 4500 MW of affordable hydropower.

Diamer Bhasha Dam is the largest and most important project in Pakistan after Tarbela Dam. According to statistics, the total number of dams in Pakistan at present is more than 150 but we have not been able to build any major dam in the last 50 years due to which Pakistan has always been suffering from energy crisis and water shortage for irrigation.

One of the reasons for not developing our economy, among other factors, was that every incoming government made loud claims to build several dams, including the Kalabagh Dam, but did nothing in practice. Offered, whose files would now be lying in a closet sobbing.

You can gauge the importance of water resources from the statement of Chairman WAPDA Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Muzammil Hussain that Diamer Bhasha Dam will irrigate more than 1.2 million acres of agricultural land which will also increase the country’s gross agricultural product.

The project will add 4,500 MW and provide employment to thousands of people. He rightly said that WAPDA would fulfil its national responsibilities to build this project in accordance with international standards. It may be recalled that WAPDA is also constructing Mohmand Dam on Swat River.

Also Read

Approval to deploy 120 companies of Pakistan Army in Diamer

The federal government has approved the deployment of 120 Pakistan Army companies...