LAHORE: The Pakistan Post issued commemorative postage stamp worth 50 rupees to mark 50 years of Tarbela Dam.

A ceremony was held at Wapda House for showcasing the commemorative postage stamp. Chairman Wapda Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (r) was the chief guest of the ceremony. Additional Director General (Operation) Pakistan Post Rizwan Javed Hashmi unveiled the commemorative postage stamp.

The ceremony was attended by Post Master General (Central Punjab), Deputy Post Master General (Admn), Wapda’s Member Finance, Member Water, Member Power, Secretary and GMs from across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman thanked the Pakistan Post for issuance of the commemorative postage stamp. He said Tarbela Dam was a testament to Pakistan’s engineering prowess and commitment to the socio-economic development of the country. The commemorative postage stamp is a fitting tribute to this iconic project. The postage stamp will serve as a reminder of Tarbela Dam’s significance for generations to come.

Later, Additional Director General (Operation), on behalf of the Pakistan Post, presented album of the commemorative postage stamp to the Chairman.

It is important to note that Tarbela Dam, completed in 1974, has been playing an instrumental role for economic development and social uplift in Pakistan during the last 50 years.

The contribution Tarbela Dam Project has made towards progress in the country can be judged form the fact that it has released 406 million acre feet (MAF) of stored water from the reservoir for agriculture and contributed 590,361 million units of low-cost and environment friendly hydel electricity to the National Grid.

Economic and financial benefits of one MAF of water in Pakistan are estimated at $1,000 million ($1 billion). Therefore, total benefits accrued from Tarbela Dam during the last 50 years stand at more than four hundred billion dollars.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024