Project Director Gomal Zam Dam, Engr Haqmali Mehsud said on Sunday that about 88 percent work on the gigantic project and its power house excluding irrigation system has been completed, while the remaining work hopefully would complete very soon.
He told APP that irrigation system including canals and distributaries would be handed over to Irrigation Department after completion of the remaining work.
The dam will boost up hydropower generation and would protect fertile land from flood besides converting most of barren land into canal irrigated area that would generate employment opportunities for youth and will bolster income of poor segment of the society.
This was multipurpose project with no adverse impacts besides having major benefits of controlling flood and soil erosion, he maintained. The present government is keen to construct water reservoirs and Gomal Zam dam is one of the major step towards this end. Realising its vast potential and visualising its direct and indirect benefits, the dam would be extremely helpful in uplifting the socio-economic condition of people and would protect the fertile land from desertification.
The official said measures had been taken for de-silting purpose, adding at Gul Kach a de-silting plant on latest lines was to be installed for this purpose.
He informed hundred of thousands of acres land of Tank and DI Khan districts would be irrigated. In the past, this multi-purpose project was restricted only to paper, he added. However, the present government, while realising the significance of the gigantic project, a new life was injected to materialise the long-last dream of people of southern districts of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.
The dam would have 1-14MAF gross storage of water whereas 0.892 MAF live storage to provide irrigation water to lands, he informed. It would also provide a small plant for power generation with installed capacity of 17.4MW.
To a question, he said the power plant had been designed with a turbine discharge. He added 63 kilometre-long main canal with an average discharge of 848 cusecs and 18 distributaries with a length of 203 kilometres to be constructed in the system of water distribution, adding the roller compacted concrete gravity of the dam with a height of 436 feet and length 492 feet.
He told that a barrage would also be a part of the project at KOT Murtaza with a length of 460 feet. Engr Haq Mali expressed satisfaction over the safety measures of the dam site and that local people are fully co-operating with staff and were providing assistance in terms of provision of house hold items.
The construction of Gomal Dam will bring a very positive change in lives of the people of decades-old neglected areas of Tank and DI Khan districts.
Due to the government's positive approach, the project will be milestone towards self-sufficiency in food and will control soil conservation and will boost agriculture sector. It will bring significant increase in the production of different crops and will prevent the fertile land from desertification.
It may be mentioned here that Gomal Zam dam is being constructed about 35 miles from Tank in South Waziristan Agency.
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