LAHORE: Moazzam Ghurki, President Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) stated during a think tank session held at PCJCCI Secretariat yesterday, that Dasu Hydropower Project (DHPP) in the Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has created at least 2,664 jobs for the local community which is one of the major milestones of CPEC at this hour of crisis.

He added that this project would help to address the problems of load shedding and will provide inexpensive electricity to consumers after completion.

President PCJCCI said that it is a run of river project where the lake of the dam only stores water for energy production and then releases it into the river, the Dasu dam reservoir would not be used for irrigation.

Another major benefit of this project is that it has increased the life of Tarbela dam up to 40 years as it would stop the mud and sand which usually flows with the river Indus and decreases the height of the Tarbela dam after deposit in the lake.

Fang Yulong, Senior Vice President PCJCCI added that this project will accommodate more people in the coming days from the local area, which is one of the backward regions of the country. Currently, over 3,700 people (including 2,664 locals) have been given jobs during the peak construction period; the number of jobs will be increased to 8,000 with the majority from the local areas.

He added that currently, work on the 10 project sites is underway to meet the 2026 deadline for power generation. The under-construction sites include diversion tunnels (Indus River water has been recently diverted to one of the tunnels while one is under construction) underground powerhouse, a flushing and traffic tunnel, right bank access roads, 132 KV transmission line, Wapda colony, and offices.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023