LAHORE, June 12: Wapda is all set to start construction of medium level Nai Gaj and Naulong dams in Sindh and Balochistan.

According to a Wapda press release on Tuesday, following the award of contract, contractors had started moving machinery and material to the sites. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was expected to lay foundation stone of one of the two dams in a week or so.

Wapda said the move had been made after the president ordered construction of a number of small and medium-sized dams in the four provinces and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in addition to executing mega projects in water and hydropower sectors.

It said the projects would help store water for irrigated agriculture, mitigate floods, generate low-cost hydel electricity for the local populace, and provide employment opportunities.

The Nai Gaj Dam is being constructed across Gaj River in district Dadu with a total project cost of about Rs 26.2 billion. The194-foot high dam will store 300,000 acres feet of water to irrigate about 29,000 acres of land. The project will create employment opportunities for 6,500 persons during the construction, operation and its maintenance. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at over Rs 3 billion.

The Naulong Dam is being constructed on Mula River in Jhal Magsi district of Balochistan with a total project cost of about Rs 16 billion.

The project, with a water storage capacity of nearly 250,000 acres feet, will irrigate 47,000 acres of land. Some 4,300 employment opportunities will be generated during the construction, operation and maintenance of the project.