It has taken four years from the approval of Daimer-Bhasha Dam to the projected laying of the foundation stone. According to some experts, considering the seismic nature of the region and other site difficulties, it may take anywhere up to 15 years for its construction.
The 300 mile long approach road has to be widened and strengthened before heavy construction machinery can be taken to site. 140 miles of KKH will need relocating at a higher and more difficult terrain.
The 200 mile long power transmission line in a region prone to landslides will be another time consuming undertaking. Taking into account the line losses and the heavy maintenance costs, power from this dam will not come cheap.
The Diamer-Bhasha Dam project at best will only replace the storage and generation capacity lost at Mangla and Tarbela dams by that time. A dam which will be dependent totally on glacier melt should not be talked of in the same breath as Kalabagh Dam which will trap waters of six big rivers plus the monsoons.
The obvious superiority of Kalabagh Dam should not be discounted merely because of the ill informed political opposition to it.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore