LAHORE: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) says that it is working on various options to start construction work on the 800MW Mohmand Dam project.

“In view of the honourable Supreme Court’s judgement for early commencement of Mohmand dam [project], a number of options are being considered to start construction work on the project during the ongoing fiscal year [2018-19],” a press release — issued by a spokesman — quoted Wapda chairman retired Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain as saying during his visit to the project site in Mohmand agency on Tuesday.

The Wapda chairman said that the dam was of immense importance as it would store 1.2 million acre feet (MAF) of water for irrigated agriculture, help mitigate floods in Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera and generate 800 megawatt (MW) of green and clean energy.

The project — scheduled to be completed in five years and eight months after commencement of construction work — will significantly contribute towards development of agriculture, industrial, economic and social sectors in the country, he added.

According to the statement, the chairman also had a detailed interaction with notables at the project site and thanked them for being supportive of the project in the wake of Supreme Court’s decision for construction of Mohmand Dam.

He apprised the notables of the land acquisition process and resettlement of the people in the project area. “Wapda will pay appropriate compensation to the locals in lieu of their land and assets and also develop infrastructure, health and education facilities and drinking water schemes in the area by employing various confidence building measures as its corporate social responsibility,” he explained.

The chairman also visited Warsak Dam to review progress on the second rehabilitation project of Warsak Hydel Power Station. During the briefing, he was informed that the project aimed at regaining the lost generation capacity of the existing Warsak power station due to aging factor, achieving reliable annual energy generation of 1.14 billion units per annum and increasing useful life of the power house for another 30 to 40 years.

The project will be completed in a phased manner in about seven years, the statement added.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2018