February 15, 2020: Construction work on multipurpose Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project has been carrying out day and night. Resultantly, the project is moving ahead with a good pace and WAPDA is confident to complete the project during high flow season in 2025 as per the timelines.
This was stated by WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen. Muzammil Hussain (Retd) during his visit to Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project being constructed at River Swat in Tribal District Mohmand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). WAPDA General Manager Land Acquisition and Resettlement Brig. Shoaib Taqi (Retd), General Manager and Project Director Javed Afridi, representatives of the Consultants and the Contractors and other senior WAPDA officers were also present on the occasion.
The Chairman during the visit had a detailed round of the under-construction access roads, offices and colony, diversion tunnels, irrigation tunnel and re-regulation pond.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman said that Mohmand Dam is the 5th highest concrete-face-rock-fill Dam (CFRD) in the world. He further said that the total priority land has already been acquired with the unprecedented support of the locals, District Administration of Tribal District Mohmand and the Provincial Government of KP and with concerted efforts by WAPDA Land Acquisition and Resettlement officers. He further said that Rs. 4.53 billion will be spent on Confidence Building Measures (CBM) in the project area for socio-economic development of the locals. He appreciated the security forces for enhanced security arrangements in the project area to enable the project management to carry out construction work day and night to meet the construction schedule.
Dilating upon the benefits of the project, the Chairman said that Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project is historic and unique in nature being constructed after the delay of over five decades. The project is scheduled to be completed in five years and eight months. It will store about 1.2 million acre feet (MAF) of water, generate 800 megawatt (MW), contribute 2.86 billion units of low-cost hydel electricity annually to the National Grid and help mitigate floods in Peshawar, Charsadda and Naushera. Besides supplementing 160,000 acres of existing land, about 16,700 acres of new land will also be irrigated because of Mohmand Dam. 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, he added.
