LAHORE: Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is all set to initiate a feasibility study of the much-needed Chiniot dam Project, as it has decided to arrange Rs86.7 million from its own resources, besides a sum of Rs50 million to be provided by the federal government for the purpose.

The project is of immense importance for mitigating floods of the Chenab in addition to water storage for agriculture and low-cost hydel electricity generation.

The future water requirements for the industry, likely to be set up after the discovery of iron, copper and gold reserves in Chiniot, have also increased significance of the project, according to a Wapda spokesman.

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in the Planning Commission of Pakistan recently approved PC-II of Chiniot dam for conducting feasibility study of the project at a cost of Rs136.724 million.

The CDWP, while approving the PC-II, said the government would finance up to Rs50 million while Wapda would have to arrange rest of the amount from its own resources to conduct the study. In view of its importance, Wapda agreed to the proposal and decided to start the study at the earliest.

The feasibility study is expected to be completed in one and a half years. After completion of the study and preparation of a detailed engineering design, Chiniot dam can be constructed in four years.

The Punjab plain, due to its simple topography, has very little storage sites for flood water. The only site available on the Jhelum had already been developed by constructing Mangla Dam which controlled floods since its completion in 1967. The Chenab presents the only site 5-km upstream of Chiniot city which can help store one million acre feet of water and generate 69MW hydel electricity.

The main objectives of the Chiniot dam include water storage, regulation of existing downstream canal network, power generation and most importantly flood mitigation. The devastating flood in Jhelum and Chenab rivers played havoc across Punjab in 2014. Though the raised Mangla Dam absorbed high flows of the Jhelum, there was no such dam on the Chenab.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2015

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