The government of Pakistan has expedited work on 10 mega projects to control energy and water crises in the country, according to the information gathered by WealthPK. The government has devised a comprehensive strategy to conserve water, enhance water storage capacity and increase investment in water-related projects to ensure energy security and overpower water scarcity.According to officials of the Water Resources Ministry, the government has expedited efforts to complete Diamer Basha and Mohmand dams besides Dasu Hydropower and other such mega projects to provide maximum relief to people.

The completion of the first phase of the Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme K-IV would provide 260 million gallons of water per day to the residents of Karachi while the Tarbela 5th extension project would start generating electricity in 2025.The completion of 10 mega projects, which are being carried out by the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), would not only help to store 11.7 million acre-feet water (MAF) but also add more than 11,268 megawatts of clean and green energy to the national grid.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is personally monitoring the water projects while Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah and WAPDA officials are also making efforts to ensure timely completion of the schemes. The prime minister recently visited Mohmand Dam and reviewed the progress of work on the project. Mohmand Dam is being constructed jointly by Chinese and Pakistani companies on the Swat River. It would irrigate more than 18,237 acres of land and help with flood prevention.

The dam will have a total water storage capacity of 1.2 million acre-feet while its power generation capacity will be 800 megawatts. The project would be completed in 2026. It would provide an average of 2.86 billion units of affordable and environment-friendly hydropower to the national grid per annum. The annual benefit of the project is estimated at Rs51 billion. The prime minister recently inaugurated work on the refurbishment of Mangala Dam units 5 and 4. USAID has provided $150 million and France €90 million loan for the project.

Minister for Water Resources Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah also visited Diamer Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam and Tarbela 5th extension projects and directed the quarters concerned to expedite work on the schemes.Tarbela 5th extension project with a capacity of 1,530 megawatts would start generating electricity in 2024. After the completion of the project, the power generation capacity of Tarbela would jump from 4,888 megawatts to 6,418 megawatts.

An agreement has also been inked among WAPDA, the civil administration, and the Muttahida Kohistan Jirga, consisting of local elders from the three districts of Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, and Kolai Pals Kohistan, to ensure the smooth completion of the long-delayed 132 kilovolts transmission line for Dasu Hydropower Project. The agreement is aimed at implementing a number of development schemes by WAPDA in the district for the socio-economic uplift of the locals. Dasu Hydropower Project with an accumulative capacity of 4,320 megawatts is underway on the Indus River in the Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

WAPDA has also awarded three more contracts worth Rs98.5 billion for the execution of the first phase of the K-IV Project. The completion of the first phase of K-IV would provide 260 million gallons of drinking water per day to the citizens of Karachi. It would be a lifeline for the city of Karachi. For speedy and early completion, the first phase has been divided into eight packages, out of which contracts for two packages have already been awarded. The first phase of K-IV would be completed in October 2023.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk