A National Defence University (NDU) delegation comprising participants of National Security Workshop visited WAPDA House to interact with WAPDA and PEPCO/NTDC authorities about matters pertaining to water and power sectors. The delegation, headed by Major General Zia-ud-Din Najam, comprised of federal as well as provincial legislators and senior officers of civil organisations and armed forces. Speaking on the occasion, WAPDA Member (Water) Syed Raghib Abbas Shah said Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to finance Diamer Basha Dam Project as senior lender. This is yet another significant development towards implementation of the project. For the $12 billion project, the process to acquire land is in progress, while 12 contracts for construction of WAPDA offices, colonies, contractors’ camps, roads, infrastructure etc in the project area have already been awarded. On completion, Diamer Basha Dam Project, with water storage capacity of 8.1 million acre feet and power generation capacity of 4500 MW, will go a long way in meeting the water and power needs of the country, he added.
The member said that WAPDA is successfully implementing several projects in water and hydropower sectors despite financial constraints. These projects, ranging from medium-sized to mega ones, will supplement water supplies for agriculture and increase the ratio of low-cost hydel electricity in the National Grid, he further said. Referring to the strategically important 969 MW-Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project, he apprised the delegation that 27 per cent work on the project is complete, while the overall completion of the project is scheduled in 2016. Besides under-construction projects, 1410 MW-Tarbela 4thExtension, 4320 MW-Dasu, 7100 MW-Bunji, 740 MW-Munda multipurpose, 84 MW-Kurram Tangi multipurpose projects are also being implemented, he added.
PEPCO/NTDC Managing Director Rasul Khan Mahsud informed the delegation about the generation expansion plan and measures being taken to reduce line losses improve recovery position and introduce smart-metering system. WAPDA General Manager (North) Rashid Ali Khan Bangash, briefing the delegation, said that per capita availability of water has gone down from 5260 cubic meter in 1951 to 1011 cubit meter in 2011 due to increase in population and decrease in water storage capacity because of the natural phenomenon of sedimentation. He said additional 20 million acres of land could be brought under irrigated agriculture if water is provided by constructing new dams. PEPCO/NTDC General Manager (Coordination and Monitoring) Zia-ur-Rehman briefed the delegation about the power generation capacity, supply and demand position during the last decade and the financial issues being confronted by PEPCO/NTDC. WAPDA Member (Finance) Syed Nazakat Ali Shah, WAPDA Secretary Muhammad Imtiaz Tajwar and other senior officers of WAPDA and PEPCO/NTDC also attended the briefing.
