PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said on Thursday that completion of watercourses in Gomal Zam Dam (GZD) command area would bring hundreds of thousands of acres under cultivation and boost agricultural production in southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Chairing a meeting, the chief minister directed the relevant departments to ensure construction of the watercourses within the stipulated timeframe. He also directed for plantation along the canal sites to prevent soil erosion in the adjoining areas.

He said that with the completion of 462 watercourses of GZD command area, nearly 200,000 acres of agricultural land would come under cultivation, which would significantly increase agricultural production in Kulachi and Tank and DI Khan districts.

It would help the province save Rs80 million annually by reducing flood losses.

Mahmood Khan was optimistic that the completion of GZD project would help the KP achieve autarky in wheat production. He applauded the relevant authorities for the completion of 105 watercourses under the Command Area Development Programme. He directed for early completion of the dam project and said that all possible resources would be provided according to the revised PC-1.

The meeting was attended by minister for environment Ishtiaq Urmar, CM’s adviser on energy Hamayatullah, secretary agriculture Mohammad Israr, secretary irrigation, chief engineer irrigation, GZD project director and others.

The meeting was briefed about the GZD Command Area Development Programme and the progress made so far. It was stated that total cost of the project was Rs33. 37 billion of which foreign assistance was Rs22 billion.

The meeting was informed that GZD had been established in Kajuri Kach area of South Waziristan. The height of the dam was 437 feet while the main canal was 60km long and length of all the distributaries stood at 369km. Total storage capacity of the dam was around 1,140,000 acre feet.

The meeting was also briefed about various MoUs regarding increased productivity of agriculture and livestock. It was told that production capacity in agriculture sector and livestock had also been increased in DI Khan, Kulachi and Tank.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2020