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| August 18, 2006 | Friday | Rajab 22, 1427 |
Major water projects suffer cost overruns
ISLAMABAD, Aug 17: Three major water sector projects - Mangla dam raising, Katchhi canal and Gomal Zam dam - are suffering from cost overruns and slow implementation due to poor planning, faulty monitoring and security problems, it is learnt.
The projects costing Rs150 billion are part of seven major irrigation schemes launched by the Musharraf government.
A meeting presided over by Minister for Water and Power Liaqat Ali Jatoi was given a detailed briefing on the mentioned projects. The participants of the meeting will then update the prime minister on the progress of the projects next week.
The meeting was told that the height of Bhasha dam had also been reduced by 33 feet that would significantly reduce its storage capacity. The cost of Katchhi canal in Balochistan has increased by almost 125 per cent to Rs70 billion from the original Rs31.2 billion owing to ill planning. Now, the government has ordered an investigation to fix the responsibility.
Mr Jatoi directed Secretary Water and Power Ashfaq Mehmood to conduct an inquiry into the cost overruns and implementation delays as regards the Katchhi canal project and submit a report within two months for disciplinary and legal action.
Representatives of Wapda told the meeting that the Katchhi canal project was started in 2002 with an estimated cost of Rs31.2 billion and was to be completed by June 2008. The project cost, according to Wapda estimates, had increased to about Rs70 billion because it was started without proper planning and meeting relevant procedural codes.
Similarly, the Rs64 billion Mangla dam project was behind its construction schedule. Although the main dam structure was on schedule with more than 96 per cent of the work completed, two other components namely Dhangali Bridge and Jeridam could not go beyond 15 per cent and 55 per cent respectively against their targeted schedule of 80 per cent.
Likewise, Rs13 billion Gomal Zam dam in Balochistan has been delayed by more than two years due to security problems, and a new contract has been given to Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) of Pakistan Army to complete it at a negotiated price, which is being kept secret for the time being.
The minister for water and power directed Wapda to complete the detailed engineering designs of the Diamer-Basha dam project before March 2008 to start construction of the dam thereafter. He also directed the accomplishment of preliminary works and activities simultaneously.
An official statement quoted Mr Jatoi as saying that all mega water projects should be timely completed without any cost overruns and delays, and those found responsible for delays would be taken to task.
“The minister showed grave concern over the delay in implementation to some components of raising Mangla Dam Project and Kachhi Canal and ordered the secretary water and power to conduct an inquiry on the cost overrun in Kachhi Canal project and lack of proper planning of the project,” the statement said.
The meeting also decided to depute a permanent representative of the Ministry of Water and Power to monitor the mega projects so that the ministry could keep abreast with the progress of work on these projects.
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