ISLAMABAD: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) on Monday said it had achieved a major milestone towards completion of the river diversion system of Mohmand Dam by connecting with precision two portions of second diversion tunnel (T2) of the project.

In a statement, Wapda said the mining operation at the diversion system was completed on Monday by breaking through two portions of T2 from each side — one from the access tunnel side and the other from outlet portal.

Wapda chairman retired Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain, Mohmand Dam General Manager and Project Director Mohammad Javed Afridi, representatives of the consultants - Mohmand Dam Consulting Group - and the contractors - China Gezhouba Group Corporation - witnessed the event.

While congratulating the project management, the consultants and the contractors on breakthrough of the two portions of the diversion tunnel, Gen Hussain said that it was a good omen for the project to achieve this milestone on Mohmand Dam at a time when the whole world was adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wapda chairman hopes project will help thwart looming water crisis and meet country’s energy needs

The Wapda chairman thanked the federal government, Water Resources Ministry in particular, for their support in implementation of the project. He expressed the hope that the project management would be able to complete Mohmand Dam on time together with their commitment and concerted efforts. He said that the projects like Mohmand Dam were vital to thwart looming water crisis and meet energy requirements of the country with affordable and clean hydel electricity.

The Mohmand Dam general manager project director gave a briefing on the occasion on overall progress of the project. He said construction work on as many as 10 sites was simultaneously underway on the project with a good pace. These sites include diversion tunnels, power intake and power waterway, spillway, re-regulation pond, excavation on switchyard, power house and main dam abutment, access roads and project colony.

Mohmand Dam is being constructed on the River Swat in Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the fifth highest concrete-face-rock-fill Dam in the world. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025. On completion, the dam will store about 1.2-million acres feet of water and help mitigate floods in Peshawar, Charsadda and Naushera. Besides supplementing 160,000 acres of existing land, about 18,237 acres of new land will also be irrigated.

Mohmand Dam Power House will generate 800 megawatts of hydel electricity, contributing 2.86 billion units of low-cost and environment-friendly hydel electricity annually to the national grid. In addition, 300 million gallons of water per day will also be provided to Peshawar for drinking purpose. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs51.6bn.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2021