In a major departure from existing practice in land acquisition and resettlement, Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has decided to provide temporary housing facilities to all families whose lands have been acquired in Thor Valley for construction of Diamer Basha Dam. The provision of temporary accommodation, in accordance with the weather requirements of the area, is in addition to the full payment for the land and establishment of permanent townships in five years.
WAPDA authority during its recent meeting took this decision, which would benefit 131 families whose lands have been acquired for establishing WAPDA’s offices and residential structures. This momentous decision would on the one hand provide adequate shelter to the affectees and would also be in line with the safeguard policies of the donors.
The amount is to be paid to each family for construction of alternate accommodation comprising of a bedroom along with toilet, and would be released in three installments. The first installment through cheque would be delivered within 10 days. WAPDA authority also decided to provide free medical coverage through an ambulance and doctors, not only the affected families, but also to the far flung villages of Diamer district. It was also decided that a poultry scheme for women would be launched besides establishing veterinary camps in the area. In order to facilitate the locals, pony tracks would also be developed in the valley.
It is pertinent to mention that Diamer Basha Dam Project was formally initiated by the Prime Minister in October last year. For $12 billion project, the process to acquire land is in progress, while 12 contracts for construction of WAPDA offices, colonies, contractor camps, roads infrastructure, etc, in the project area have already been awarded. Diamer Basha Dam is a multi-purpose project with the objectives to store water for irrigation, mitigate floods and generate low-cost and environment-friendly hydel electricity. On completion, the project will store 8.1 Million Acre Feet (MAF) of water besides generating 4500 MW electricity. The project will add about 20 billion units of electricity annually to the national grid and the annual benefits of the project have been estimated to be about $2.3 billion.