The locally-made wind turbine having a capacity of generating two horsepower electricity which is in final stages at village Lalmay situated 10-km of Kurram Agency near Pak-Afghan border has been designed to develop vast plains of wastelands of Fata on sustainable basis.
This was stated by Rehmat Jan, project director, Sustainable Plains Development Programme (SPDP) while briefing the Peshawar-based journalists at the site of the windmill and orchards developed at Drought Tolerant Fruits Plants Nursery Lalmay, spread over 300 acres.
The new orchards of almond, walnut, pomegranate and pistachio have been raised at Drought Tolerant Fruits Plants Nursery village under the PSDP.
The encouraging aspect is that no imported technology or lengthy bureaucratic procedure has been adopted in initiation of the SPDP, he said, adding only wastelands have been utilised and turned into orchard and local material suited in designing a vertical shaft wind-mill.
The totally indigenous valve system wind turbine has been designed by SPDP Project Director Rahmat Jan, while his son, Abbas, who is a student of MBA, helped in developing its valve.
The unique feature of the turbines is that its shaft is vertical against horizontal shafts common in the world, said Rahmat Jan, adding the turbine would be used for generating power for running tube-wells.
The turbine costs just Rs 450,000, he said, adding it could be further improved by enlarging its wings up to 50 feet.
The Lalmay drought resistant nursery farm spread over 300 acres of wasteland was established in February 2002 with a total of 53,000 plants and 30,000 almond plants have started production, he said.
Rahmat Jan said the orchard has been developed on barren land owned by 60 families through an agreement according to which it would be handed over to the community after seven years, adding the main objective behind the project is to bring vast wastelands under cultivation, as the programme has been extended to 20,000 acres of land in Kurram and 10,000 acres in Mohmand Agency
The SPDP has designed a low-cost system of 'moving drip irrigation' for irrigating the orchard, while seven flood dams have also been constructed to utilise rain and flood water for irrigation, he added.
Rhmat Jan said, "Our mission is to develop the primeval wastelands of Fata on sustainable basis, while integrating the best suited appropriate technologies and pooling of all the available natural resources."
The leading objective of the programme is to develop vast plains of barren lands on the basis of efficient use of land water paradigm and introduce drought-tolerant crop varieties as well promote the concept of community agriculture farming, he added.
The developed lands after the plan period of the project with all physical infrastructures will be handed over free of cost to the communities, he added.
He said: "In the backdrop of the above mentioned natural and societal stumbling blocks we are confident enough to spell out that the programme is successfully mounted on track and resolved to achieve the targets."
The SPDP, he said, would also install 20 low-cost tube-wells for both drinking and irrigation purposes in dry areas of Upper Kurram.
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