ISLAMABAD – The United States and Pakistan signed on Friday two agreements of $ 66 million to expedite completion of the Gomal Zam and Satpara dam projects.
Mission Director of US Agency for International Development (USAID) Andrew Sisson, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Chairman Shakil Durrani, and Ministry of Water and Power Secretary Javed Iqbal signed the agreements.
US Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Frank Ruggiero was also present on the occasion.
Under the agreement, US will provide $ 40 million to help complete the Gomal Zam dam in South Waziristan. The project will provide 17.4 MW of electricity to power 25,000 households and mitigate an estimated $ 2.6 million potential flood damages annually. The Gomal Zam dam will have the capacity to store enough water to irrigate 191,000 acres of farmlands.
US will provide $ 26 million to complete the Satpara Dam project, located in Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan province. The dam will provide 17.7 MW of power to nearly 30,000 households and help alleviate load shedding in Skardu. The water storage capacity will irrigate over 15,000 acres of land and provide 3.1 million gallons of potable drinking water per day. After completion of the dam, annual agricultural outputs are expected to increase more than fourfold, generating about $ 6 million in additional economic benefit to the community each year.
Speaking on the occasion Ruggiero said that the last year’s devastating floods demonstrated the need for flood control infrastructure. These two multipurpose dams would help control floodwaters, provide electricity, and store water for irrigation and household use for downstream villages. They would also provide energy solutions and improve the quality of life for people in FATA and Gilgit Baltistan. The US government, he said, is committed to a long-term partnership with Pakistan and will continue to support projects that benefit the people and bring economic development to these critical areas of the country.
Talking to media at a stakeholders briefing on the land acquisition for the Diamer Bhasa dam, Chairman WAPDA Shakil Durrani said that the government has released Rs 6 billion for Mangla dam raising project. He said the amount would be utilized to clear the dues of the contractors and the affected people.
On the land acquisition for the Diamer Bhasa dam, he said, a boundary commission consisting of representatives of the Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Phaktoonkhwa and Federal government would be set up to resolve the issue. He said the government had released Rs 700 million for the land acquisition process, which was started two months back. He said the land acquisition would take three years to complete while the construction of the dam would be completed in 7 years.
On the Neelum Jehlum project, he said a thermal power plant of 12 MW would be constructed to give impetus to the construction activity at the project.
