Mohmand Dam to be completed in 2025, says Wapda chief

WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd) said on Saturday the construction work on multipurpose Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project would be completed during high flow season in 2025 as per the timelines. He said the construction work is being carried out day in and day out and the project is moving ahead with a good pace.

WAPDA General Manager Land Acquisition and Resettlement Brig Shoaib Taqi (Retd), General Manager and Project Director Javed Afridi, representatives of the Consultants and the Contractors and other senior WAPDA officers were also present on the occasion.

The Chairman made a detailed round of the under-construction access roads, offices and colony, diversion tunnels, irrigation tunnel and re-regulation pond.

He said Mohmand Dam is the 5th highest concrete-face-rock-fill Dam (CFRD) in the world. He said the total priority land has already been acquired with the unprecedented support of the locals, District Administration of Tribal District Mohmand and the Provincial Government of KP and with concerted efforts by WAPDA Land Acquisition and Resettlement officers.

He further said that Rs4.53 billion will be spent on the Confidence Building Measures (CBM) in the project area for socio-economic development of the locals. He appreciated the security forces for enhanced security arrangements in the project area to enable the project management to carry out construction work day and night to meet the construction schedule.

Dilating upon the benefits of the project, the Chairman said that Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project is historic and unique in nature being constructed after the delay of over five decades. The project is scheduled to be completed in five years and eight months. It will store about 1.2 million acre feet (MAF) of water, generate 800 megawatt (MW), contribute 2.86 billion units of low-cost hydel electricity annually to the National Grid and help mitigate floods in Peshawar, Charsadda and Naushera. Besides supplementing 160,000 acres of existing land, about 16,700 acres of new land will also be irrigated because of Mohmand Dam. In addition, 300 million gallons water per day will also be provided to Peshawar for drinking purpose. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs51.6 billion, he added.