The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has successfully completed the 17.4 megawatt (MW) Gomal Zam Power House - a component of the Gomal Zam Dam Project. Gomal Zam Dam is the first-ever mega project in the water sector constructed in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The power house is currently on a test run and will start providing electricity to the National Grid in a month.
Gomal Zam Dam Project located in South Waziristan Agency, consists of three main components including dam, powerhouse and irrigation system. The dam was completed last year, the power house is now complete, while the irrigation system is at the advanced stage of completion. Gross storage capacity of the project is 1.14 million acre feet (MAF) of water to irrigate 163,000 acres of land. The power house will contribute 91 million units of electricity annually to the system, which is sufficient to supply power to about 25,000 households.
Gomal Zam Dam Project is of immense importance for socio-economic uplift of the populace of remote areas, particularly FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project would ensure availability of water for irrigated agriculture, control floods and provide low-cost hydel electricity.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had provided $40 million to help complete the main dam and the powerhouse. Another $40 million are also being provided by USAID for completion of irrigation component of the project and $12 million are committed for development of Waran Canal System.
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