DADU, Oct 29: When the Nai Gaj Dam project is completed it will have the capacity to store 0.3 million acre feet rainwater and irrigate 28,000 acres of barren land in KN Shah and Johi talukas of Dadu district, said Khan Mohammad Abro, project director and chief engineer at Water and Power Development Authority.

He was briefing journalists after their visit to the dam on Tuesday along with a technical team of expert engineers.

Nearly 22 per cent work of the project that is being constructed across the Gaj River in Dadu district was done and it would be completed by April 2015, he said.

Giving further details about the project, he said that the estimated cost of its construction was 26 billion rupees, the height of the dam will be 59 metres, crest width 10 metres, crest elevation 184 metres, crest length 1,137 metres, maximum storage level 177.5 metres, dead storage level 148 metres and the catchment area which is the Kirthar Range from which rainwater flows into the Gaj River was 7,019 sq kilometres.

Responding to a question about employing local people for the project he said that majority of the construction jobs had been given to the locals.

“Out of 200 jobs, 104 have been given to people of Kasbo Area near the Gaj River. The remaining 96 vacancies have been filled in such a manner that 50 per cent people belong to Dadu and 50 per cent are employees of the private contractor,” said Mr Abro.

He said that once the project was completed Wapda would advertise vacancies for various posts and give priority to the local residents.

Regarding land compensation, he said that all local people were asked to submit their documents to the deputy commissioner’s office in Dadu and after submission of proper documents they would be compensated.

Ali Sher Baloch, Wapda’s expert on dams, also responded to questions one of which pertained to the use of material for the dam project. He refuted the allegation by the locals that sub-standard material was being used. “The construction material that is being used has been checked from a laboratory, and the contractor is utilising construction material under the directives of consultants,” he said.

He said that those people were objecting to the construction of the dam who wanted to receive extortion money from the construction company and Wapda officials.

Mr Baloch said that Wapda officials had refused to pay the extortion money hence they were manufacturing allegations against the Wapda officials concerned.

The General Manager projects south, Wapda Hyderabad, Amir Bux Umrani, expressed his views and said that clay grouting technique was being used in the construction of the dam so that seepage did not occur. He added that it was one of best locations to construct the Nai Gaj Dam to store rainwater.

He said stored water from this dam will be provided to the canals for farming all year round. “This water will be released to Manchhar Lake as well,” said Mr Umrani.

He outlined the main objectives of Nai Gaj Dam which included irrigate agricultural land, protection of lower riparians, hydro-power generation, flood mitigation, development of fisheries, uplift of socio-economic conditions, emancipation of women and poor communities of the area.

The General Manager of the construction company of Nai Gaj Dam, Abid Hussain Mahar said that despite having security issues, the work of Dam project was continuing swiftly.

He said that a couple of influential persons had earlier threatened to kidnap him, if he did not pay them extortion money. “But now FC personnel have been deployed at the Nai Gaj Dam project to look into security issues,” he said.