ISLAMABAD: The Pu­blic Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed on Wednesday that the 969MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydro­power Project would become operational by March 31 next year.

Wapda chairman retired Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain briefed the committee that filling of the dam would start in October and the dry test of the turbine would be conducted in January next year, while the first unit would start power generation in February.

He said that excavation of 68-km-long tunnels had already been completed one month ahead of schedule.

He said major restructuring had been carried out in the detailed design of the project in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake.

Mr Hussain said that the average annual water inflow in the country’s rivers was 145 million cusecs, but only 14m cusecs could be stored as the country had only two major reservoirs, adding that no reservoir had been built over the past 40 years.

He said that new dams would have to be constructed to store water and such dams could be built at Diamer, Akori, Mohmond and Dasu.

The PAC was informed that Wapda had been allowed to issue bonds in 1987 for the first time and 10 bonds had been issued between 1987 and 2004.

The committee was in­form­ed that Wapda issued Sukuk bonds worth Rs8 billion for Mangla Dam Raising Project in 2005 and bonds worth Rs144bn were issued in May 2017 for the Dasu dam.

Referring to the Kachhi Canal, the Wapda chairman said that Rs57bn had been spent on the project and another Rs45bn was required for completion of its first phase.

He assured the committee that the canal would start irrigating 72,000 acres in Dera Bugti district by December.

Responding to a question, Mr Hussain said that Wapda was paying annually Rs30-35bn in interest on various loans obtained for different projects while Rs35-40bn was being paid for retiring the actual loans.

The PAC directed Wapda to complete the Noulang and Dadu dams and canal project on a priority basis.

Water and Power Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar informed the PAC that power sector recovery had jumped to 93 per cent.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2017