As part of its corporate social responsibility, the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has provided a state-of-the-art mobile health unit to the affectees of Diamer Basha Dam Project (DBDP). The mobile health unit will serve as an expanded medical facility to the people residing in the far flung areas adjacent to the project.
The mobile health unit, comprising a 4×4 wheel ambulance and all necessary medical instruments, was handed over by WAPDA Chairman Shakil Durrani to the project authorities here at WAPDA House on Monday.
WAPDA Member (Water) Syed Raghib Abbas Shah, Member (Power) Muhammad Qasim Khan, Member (Finance) Syed Nazakat Ali Shah, Managing Director (Admn) Naveed Akram Cheema, Secretary Muhammad Imtiaz Tajwar, DBDP General Manager (GM) Shaukat Hussain Bhatti, Land Acquisition & Resettlement GM Dr. Rahael Siddiqui, Director General (Human
Resources & Administration) Muhammad Zafar, Director General Medical Services Dr. Zaheer-ul-Islam and other officers concerned were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman said that the mobile health unit, in addition to the existing health facilities in the area, would prove instrumental for treatment of the ailing people in Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan and Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Besides providing civic amenities to the affectees of the project under a comprehensive compensation package chalked out in accordance with the standards laid down by the international donors and financial institutions, WAPDA will also upgrade District Headquarters Hospitals at Chilas, Gilgat and Skardu, he added.
The Chairman expressed satisfaction over setting up of WAPDA medical camps with regular interval in the project area. It is pertinent to mention that Diamer Basha Dam Project was formally initiated by the Prime Minister in October last year after the Council of Common Interest unanimously approved the project. For US $ 12 billion project.
The process to acquire land is in progress, while 13 contracts for construction of WAPDA offices, colonies, contractors 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. The annual benefits of the project have been estimated at about US $ 2.3 billion.
