NA Standing Committee on PD, SI visits Mohmand Dam to review progress on project.

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Project’s 1st unit to be commissioned in December 2025, Committee told

December 8, 2021: A delegation of National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives today visited Mohmand Dam Project being constructed by Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) on River Swat in Mohmand District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

The delegation, headed by the Standing Committee Chairman Mr. Junaid Akbar, comprised of MNAs namely Mr. Saleh Muhammad, Sardar Muhammad Irfan Dogar, Mr. Naveed Dero and Syed Agha Rafiullah.

Malik Anwar Taj joined the delegation as special invitee. WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd), Mohmand Dam General Manager and Project Director, representatives of the consultants and the contractors were also present on the occasion.

During the visit, the delegation had a round of the various components including diversion tunnels, spillway, dam axis and power intake etc. to review progress on the project. The Standing Committee expressed satisfaction over the pace of work. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Junaid Akbar, Chairman of the Committee said that Mohmand Dam is a significant project to cope with water and energy needs of the country, therefore, on time completion of the project is all the more important. He directed WAPDA to make it sure that the project is completed in accordance with the timelines.

Earlier, in a briefing, WAPDA Chairman thanked the delegation for taking their time out to visit Mohmand Dam, adding that their visit to the project reflects their support and interest for harnessing the water resources for socio-economic development of the country.

The delegation was briefed that Mohmand Dam is the 5th highest concrete-face-rock-fill Dam (CFRD) in the world. Construction work on as many as 13 sites is simultaneously underway on the project. These sites include diversion tunnels, power intake and power waterway, spillway, re-regulation pond, left bank irrigation tunnel, switchyard, power house, main dam abutment, access roads and project colony etc. This is a good omen for the project at a time when the whole world is adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was further briefed.

The delegation was informed that the first unit of the project will be commissioned in December 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. It was further briefed that a hefty amount of Rs. 4.5 billion will be spent on Confidence Building Measures (CBM) in the project area for socio-economic development of the locals.