SWABI: The Kundal Dam, which is nearing completion, is expected to be inaugurated soon, sources in the district irrigation department told Dawn here on Wednesday.

The dam located in the mountainous region of Gadoon Amazai is financed by the federal ministry of water and power, while director general small dams, irrigation department KP, is the executing agency.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs2.3 billion, the sources said, adding it had been built in the Pabini locality.

The sources said the construction work had already been completed, while the remaining minor work would also be finished soon.

The project would be completed under the small dams’ construction initiative of the PTI government and it would irrigate 105,600 kanals of arid land, enabling the farmers of the entire terrain to be self-sufficient in food grain produce.

The sources said along with irrigation of land the dam would also control floods during the monsoon season and meet the water needs of locals.

They said whenever the rainfall delayed in summer, people of entire Gadoon Amazai region were badly hit by water shortage and the district and tehsil governments dispatched water tankers to fulfill their requirements.

“We hope that with the inauguration of the project, the water scarcity problem of Pabini and surrounding areas would be resolved,” said an official.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2019