Chairman WAPDA visits Diamer Basha Dam to review construction activities

Chairman WAPDA Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) visited Diamer Basha Dam, which is being constructed on the River Indus, 40 Km downstream of Chilas town. DG FWO Maj Gen. Kamal Azfar accompanied him during the visit.

CEO Diamer Basha Dam Company, CEO Diamer Basha Consultants Group, and representatives of the Contractors i.e. Power China and FWO were also present on the occasion.

Chairman WAPDA visited sites of dam abutments, diversion system, permanent access bridge, and contractor’s camp and reviewed the construction activities.

Earlier, the project management briefed about the targets and progress achieved. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2029. The Chairman urged project teams to complete the project in an earlier time frame.

It is pertinent to mention that Diamer Basha Dam will have a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF sufficient to irrigate 1.23 million acres of additional land.

With an installed power generation capacity of 4,500 MW, the project will provide 18 billion green and low-cost electricity units on average to the National Grid every year.

With the completion of Diamer Basha Dam, the life of Tarbela Dam will also increase by another 35 years.

A sum of Rs.78.5 billion has been earmarked for the welfare of the local population in the project area. Besides, 4,100 locals of the project area have been provided employment opportunities.

Job opportunities for locals will increase further with progress on the project.