ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel, Thursday, was informed that the under construction Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) power projects will generate 11,694 megawatts (MW) of power, irrigate four million acres, and help create more than 3,500 jobs.

The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources meeting held here under the chairmanship of Senator Shahadat Awan in a briefing by the officials of WAPDA was informed that at present, the authority was contributing 31 percent power generation in the country.

The committee was apprised that WAPDA's scope of work extends to the construction, maintenance, and operation of powerhouses and grids. Besides that, WAPDA also makes strides to prevent water logging and flood control. From 1958 onwards, WAPDA has completed 15 dams, 23 hydropower plants, 14 thermal power plants, seven barrages, and 47,618 grid stations.

The major engineering icons credited to WAPDA are Tarbela Dam, Mangla Dam, and Chashma Barrage, with a generation capacity of around 6,142 MW from these three projects.

Moreover, the major ongoing projects are Diamer Basha Dam (4,500 MW), Dasu Dam (4,320 MW), Tarbela 5th Extension (1,530 MW), and Floating Solar Ghazi Barotha (300 MW).

However, the river diversion has been completed for Diamer Basha Dam, Mohmand Dam, and Dasu Hydropower. WAPDA's ongoing projects will generate 11,694 MW of power, irrigate four million acres, and help create more than 3,500 jobs. Additionally, the committee was informed about upcoming projects for which the feasibility study has been completed.

While discussing the audit paras of WAPDA pending with the Public Accounts Committee, Chairman Senator Shahadat Awan recommended that the details of the audit paras should be provided within 10 days. He lamented the ministry upon delay in settlement of the audit paras since decades. He asked whether the MINISTRY has been waiting for the death of responsible officials to settle the paras. In addition to that, the chairman committee required the ministry to provide details of all the directions and compliance made thereof in terms of audit paras along with status of inquiries conducted against the officials responsible for causing the loss to the government exchequer.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024