PESHAWAR: The federal government on Friday approved the revised PC-I of the remodeling of Peshawar’s Warsak Gravity Canal and Warsak Lift Canal systems.

The development came after a meeting between Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and federal minister for planning, development and special initiatives Ahsan Iqbal at the Chief Minister’s House, said an official statement issued here.

The statement said the government had already started work on the project, which was meant to increase water flow in the two canals from the current 500 cusecs to 810 cusecs to irrigate barren land measuring thousands of acres.

It added that the project would also ensure the supply of 300 cusecs water to Peshawar city and Hayatabad Township for drinking purposes.

The statement said the CM also took up with the federal minister the matters regarding Warsak and other projects of vital importance for the province.

Project meant to irrigate barren land, improve supply of drinking water

It said the federal government approved Warsak project, while a number of issues related to projects were also resolved.

It added that the two sides also discussed the 874MW Suki Kinari hydropower project, issues related to the Gomal Zam and Pehur high level canal, Women University Swat and Chashma Right Bank Canal.

The statement said in order to increase water supply from Warsak dam, an additional five kilometers tunnel alongside the already functional tunnel would be built in the mountains of Khyber Agency.

It added that at the time of the construction of the two canals 53 years ago, the area was to be provided with 100,500 acres water but ironically, two-thirds of the said area currently received water leaving the rest barren.

The statement said the project management unit of KP was already in place for the canal remodeling, a condition of the federal government for release of funds and that the project director and other staff had also been appointed to it.

It however said the removal of encroachments from both sides of the canals and slow funding by the federal government had been delaying the execution of the project since 2009.

The statement said the $1.8 billion Suki Kinari hydropower project was one of the largest private sector initiatives in the country.

It said the KP Private Power and Infrastructure Board and SK Hydro Private Limited had already signed an ‘implementation agreement’ in this regard.

On the occasion, the CM invited the federal minister and Planning Commission officials to participate in the road show of development projects to be organised by his government in China.

The federal minister accepted the invitation in principle.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2017