NHA stance stirs controversy over Bhasha dam project

National Highway Authority (NHA) has informed that it would not renovate or redesign the portion of Karakoram Highway (KKH) that will be affected by the construction of Bhasha dam as the government is planning to shortly launch the detailed design of the proposed project.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Thursday that NHA had asserted that it would be the responsibility of Wapda to renovate or redesign the KKH. The NHA stance stirred a controversy in plan of the $6.7 billion project upon which the federating units recently reached a consensus.
The dam will affect a total of 463 km of the KKH that will require to be designed afresh by 41 km from Havelian to Mansehra, 282 km from Mansehra to the dam site and by 140 km from Sazin to Raikot Bridge.
The relocation and rehabilitation of the KKH will cost over $334 million, according to the sources.
The sources further said that the rift between Wapda and NHA could delay the process of launching the detailed design of the dam that would require at least 24 months for completion.
Before the launch of the detailed design, the government will also take the people of the Northern Areas into confidence. But so far the concerned authorities are not in full grasp of the situation. There are not any special instructions from the federal government to remove the grievances of the people of Northern Areas.
An official in the ministry of water and power said that the negotiations between Wapda and the NHA are underway and the two organisations would be able to reach a conclusion.
Like the proposed Kalabagh dam, Bhasha is also controversial in a sense that Sindh has certain reservations on this project, too. It was the strong supporter of Skardu and Katzarah dams.
However, in a meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Water Resources, Sindh decided to support the proposed project. On the other hand, the Punjab said that Bhasha should not be considered as substitute to Kalabagh, for the latter could be beneficial not only for irrigation of large areas, but for the power generation as well.
Bhasha will not be beneficial for the irrigation purposes and the Punjab is pleading its case in the same context. "No other dam can be substitute to the Kalabagh," the Punjab government conveyed this message on Wednesday to the parliamentary committee on water resources.