The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has successfully connected two portions of the river diversion tunnel being constructed for Mohmand Dam.
The connection of two parts of a tunnel is a highly technical process as the mining of the tunnel is started from both sides which have to precisely align at the middle for it to be successful. The project management of Mohmand dam connected the two tunnels by breaking through two portions of Diversion Tunnel 2 – one from the access tunnel side while the other from outlet portal.
WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd), Mohmand Dam General Manager and Project Director Muhammad Javed Afridi, representatives of the consultants – Mohmand Dam Consulting Group and the contractors China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) witnessed the event.
While speaking at the occasion Chairman WAPDA expressed the hope that the project management would be able to complete Mohmand Dam on time together with their commitment and concerted efforts.
Work for the construction of Mohmand dam is being completed at a very fast pace. Construction work on as many as 10 sites is simultaneously underway on the project. 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.
It is pertinent to mention here that Mohmand Dam is being constructed on River Swat in District Mohmand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the 5th highest concrete-face-rock-fill Dam (CFRD) in the world. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025. On completion, the dam will store about 1.2-million-acre feet (MAF) 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 megawatt (MW) 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 water per day will also be provided to Peshawar for drinking purpose. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs. 51.6 billion.
