LAHORE: The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has decided to start construction of Rohtas Dam project to mitigate impact of floods and store flood water for agriculture.

The WAPDA has started evaluating the construct of project soon, said Chairman of the Authority Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (r).

The initial studies suggest that Rohtas Dam will have a water storage capacity of 2 to 3 million acre feet (MAF). In addition, the project will generate 100 MW of low-cost hydel electricity. The project also envisages a link channel taking-off from Mangla and ending at Rohtas to divert surplus flows from Mangla Reservoir to the proposed Rohtas Dam.

Underlining the need for construction of dams, the Chairman said that Rohtas Dam, like other water reservoirs, will also play a pivotal role in saving the country from devastating floods and conserving flood water to bring additional land under plough.

He directed the officers concerned to take up the project on priority and accomplish studies and other allied tasks in shortest possible time.

The Chairman also mentioned a multi-pronged strategy of WAPDA to harness water resources in the country under which a number of under-construction projects are progressing well including Mohmand Dam, Diamer Basha Dam, Kurram Tangi Dam (Stage-I) and Dasu Hydropower Project (Stage-I).

It is pertinent to mention that Rohtas Dam site is identified across River Kahan, a tributary of River Jhelum in a gorge near Rohtas Fort about 7.5 Kilometer South of Dina Town in District Jhelum. Main objectives of the project include mitigating floods, storage surplus flows of Mangla reservoir during flood and low-cost hydel power generation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020