TIMERGARA: Despite repeated attempts since 2015 both the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and federal governments have failed to start work on the Sanam dam project in Lower Dir district because of landowners’ concerns over low compensation rates and alleged politics over the water reservoir.

The dam will be built in Sanam area on the Asbanr stream in Lower Dir district.

The project is part of the government’s plan to build small dams on rivers and streams both for generating cheap electricity and storing water for irrigation.

The project was approved in 2015, and tendered in 2017

The previous PTI-led government in KP had approved the project in 2015 and allocated funds for it in 2015-16 budget, according to former minister for finance Muzafar Said. He said former MPA Dr Zakirullah had proposed the project when the MMA ruled the province from 2002 to 2008.

The dam was to be built within two years till March 2019 with a total cost of Rs1.17 billion, including Rs307 for land acquisition. The project was tendered on March 29, 2017, while the directorate of small dams and irrigation department had issued the work order to the successful lowest bidder on April 25, 2017.

Terming the dam as the most feasible and suitable project of the province, former provincial minister Bakht Baidar told Dawn that he had started advocating for the project in 2013. He said then chief minister Pervez Khattak was to formally inaugurate the project on Jan 9, 2018, but his visit was cancelled at the eleventh hour.

He said the federal government had even transferred Rs200 million to the account of small dams directorate because it was a Pakistan Sector Development Programme (PSDP) project.

PTI MPA Humayun Khan said the project was in the execution stage, adding some landowners had reservations regarding the cost of their lands, but the government had agreed to compensate them properly.

“It will be the first-ever dam in Malakand division that will promote tourism, create jobs, irrigate a vast land, and will be used as water reservoir,” claimed the MPA.

PTI MNA Syed Mehboob Shah said since it was a PSDP scheme and the federal government was supposed to spend 90 per cent of the total cost, he would talk to both the federal ministers for power and water resources, Umar Ayub Khan and Faisal Vowda, urging them execute the project at the earliest.

Mohammad Israr, a local reporter, said most of the wells and springs in Tindo Dag, Shawa, Kitiari, Barorai, Mena Bhattan and Teeso had dried up and the dam was the only remedy to meet the water shortage in the area.

The landowners complained against low rates of their lands and demanded increase in the compensation amount.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2018