PESHAWAR – Mohmand Dam, a multidimensional hydropower project of Federal Government, will supply around 13.32 million cubic clean drinking water to Peshawar besides generating 800-megawatt low-cost electricity for agriculture, domestic and industrial consumptions.
“Mohmand Dam has been declared most feasible project by NESPAK in the feasibility study for the much-awaited ‘Greater Water Supply Scheme (GWSS)’ designed to provide clean drinking water to residents of Peshawar,” officials in Public Health Engineering Department told APP on Sunday.
Keeping in view of enormous benefits, WAPDA has decided to go ahead with these mega projects and inauguration of its groundbreaking ceremony would soon be performed.
Mohmand dam would be constructed on River Swat about 48 kilometers from Peshawar in Mohmand tribal district and would be completed in five and eight months.
It will generate about 800-megawatt low-cost hydel electricity besides storage reservoir of about 1594 million cubic meter water with annual benefits of about Rs51.6 billion.
The official said water experts analyzed different options for the supply of water to Peshawar from Warsak, Munda, Bara, and Jabba dams and declared Mohmand Dam is the best option for execution of GWSS.
Mohmand dam’s site is located both in Shabqadar Charsadda and Mohmand tribal district whereas Warsak Dam is in Mohmand tribal district adjacent to the settlement areas of Peshawar while Jabba and Bara dams would be built in Khyber district.
“The height of Mohmand Dam is technically most feasible as water will flow to all targeted areas without pumping. Mohmand dam’s operational cost is also lower than other dams and its water is also clean compare to Warsak dam as the water of the latter is mostly silty,” he maintained.
The official said around the 70pc population of Peshawar has been covered by Water Sanitation and Services Project and 30 percent by Public Health Engineering Department, saying 221million gallon water per day is being provided to consumers.
He said around 144 million gallons per day additional water would be required for the ever-growing population of Peshawar by 2030.
The completion of the Mohmand dam would help fulfill water needs of people till 2050 besides overcome shortage of clean water in rural areas of the provincial capital.
It will also help address issue of dropping of the water table in Peshawar due to the rapid establishment of tube-wells and massive misuse of water in car washing centers and other industrial and domestic consumption and will preserve underground water for upcoming generation.
Mohmand dam construction will help national power policy achieve the dual goals of meeting Pakistan’s energy needs in a sustainable manner and ensuring generation of affordable electricity while helping to reduce existing energy’s supply gap.
The construction of 213-meter-high Mohmand dam will alleviate the risk of such flood damages to the great extent and its reservoir would also store river flows and minimize the intensity of floods downstream.
This project will lead to enhancing the agricultural capacity and production at downstream through raising two canals at Charsadda district.
PC-I of Mohmand dam hydropower project amounting to Rs. 309.556 billion including land acquisition and resettlement, was approval by ECNEC.
Asked about land acquisition and resettlement, the official said a total of 8675 acres land would be acquired for construction of requisite infrastructure at the dam site besides 56-kilometer long reservoir, irrigation network, and re-regulation pond area.
WAPDA has signed a formal agreement with tribal elders for acquiring land for the dam projects under the supervision of district administration.
The agreement pertaining to rates for acquiring land has also been endorsed by the Sub Committee on Land Acquisition and Resettlement of Mohmand Dam Project formed under the Implementation Committee on Dams.
