After five decades, Pakistan going to build Mohmand, Bhasha dams: PM Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that five decades later after Mangla and Tarbela, Pakistan is going to build two big water dams i.e. Mohmand and Bhasha.

Sharing a video of the under-construction Mohmand dam on social media, the PM said that the dam will generate 800MW of hydroelectricity, irrigate over 16,000 acres of land and contribute heavily to the socio-economic uplift of the region.

The Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project being constructed after the delay of over five decades. It will store about 1.2 million acre feet (MAF) of water, generate 800 megawatt (MW) of electricity, 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 Rs51.6 billion, he added.

Back in June, the Water and Power Development Authority Chairman Lt-Gen Muzzammil Hussain (retired) informed the Supreme Court that Diamer-Bhasha Dam would be completed in July 2028, while Mohmand Dam's first power unit would start functioning in December 2024.