Dams in Balochistan: Senate panel questions rising costs of projects

ISLAMABAD: A Senate sub-committee has questioned the viability and escalating costs of major dam projects in Balochistan, raising concerns over their impact on local communities and the use of public funds.

The Planning Commission informed the sub-committee that a total of 138 projects were being handled under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package, including more than 133 ongoing projects and seven new schemes, with a total approved cost of Rs1.984 trillion. An allocation of Rs193 billion had been made for Balochistan during the current fiscal year. The portfolio includes 18 water-sector projects involving dams and canals, while 54 projects relate to road infrastructure, 36 of which are being implemented by the Balochistan government.

The sub-committee met here on Monday with Senator Jan Muhammad Baloch in the chair. The sub-committee reviewed progress on projects being executed under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package and examined development initiatives in the water, road infrastructure and employment sectors.

The members of the body expressed serious concerns over delays and escalating costs of development projects, questioning their economic viability and potential impact on local communities, while billions of rupees in public funds were being spent on schemes that might fail to deliver tangible benefits to the province’s population.

Officials of the Ministry of Water Resources informed the sub-committee that all 18 water-sector projects had been approved, with 13 being executed by the Balochistan government and five by WAPDA under the ministry’s supervision. The projects have a combined cost of Rs369.3 billion, while Rs16.9 billion has been allocated for the current financial year.

The officials further said that 51 water-sector projects had been completed in Balochistan since 2010. Regarding the Mangi Dam, the sub-committee was informed that approximately 80 percent of the work had been completed and that water from the reservoir would primarily be used for drinking purposes.

The Balochistan Irrigation Department also briefed the sub-committee on 13 dams currently under construction, including the Ghuruk Storage Dam, Awaran Dam, Panjgur Dam, Winder Dam, Shahznak Dam and Gish Kaur Storage Dam.

Expressing strong reservations over the Panjgur Dam, Senator Jan Muhammad Baloch warned that blocking the flow of the main river could seriously disrupt the daily lives of local residents and potentially affect the entire population of Panjgur district.

He directed the relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive review of the project and obtain detailed reports from SUPARCO and WAPDA for submission to the Senate committee at its next meeting.

Officials maintained that local representatives had been consulted and arrangements would be made to ensure adequate water flows for the traditional karez system. However, the convener observed that communities in other parts of Balochistan had also faced difficulties because of similar dam projects.

He also questioned the increase in the Panjgur Dam’s estimated cost from Rs18 billion to Rs23 billion, seeking greater scrutiny of the project’s financial and social implications.

The sub-committee also examined the Gish Kaur Storage Dam, where the convener expressed grave concern over a sharp escalation in the revised project cost from Rs11 billion to Rs44 billion.

Questioning the project’s economic justification, the Committee chairman said that the massive increase in expenditure raised serious concerns about the potential wastage of national resources. He observed that the scheme did not appear to offer sufficient benefits in proportion to its construction cost, particularly as there was little agricultural land in the surrounding area and some nearby land had already been occupied by housing schemes.

He directed the concerned department to reassess the project’s viability and submit its findings to the subcommittee.

The department informed the meeting that the prevailing law and order situation had made it difficult to complete several dam projects within their original timelines, necessitating extensions in their completion schedules.

The sub-committee subsequently reviewed road infrastructure projects in Balochistan, with National Highway Authority (NHA) officials briefing members on ongoing and completed schemes.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s directives regarding road infrastructure development, Senator Jan Muhammad Baloch observed that the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) generally undertook projects where full funding was available but tended to avoid schemes supported by partial funding arrangements.

The sub-committee was informed that a private company was executing the Western Bypass Quetta project, while FWO was working on the Karachi-Khuzdar section of the N-25 highway in three packages.

The NHA officials said that 52 percent of the overall funds had been allocated to Balochistan. They added that the Prime Minister had directed the authorities to accord priority to the Karachi-Chaman highway project.

Providing updates on individual schemes, officials said 86 percent of the Quetta Bypass had been completed, the RekoDiq-linked access road was nearing completion, while 64 percent of the Awaran-Hoshab Road project had been completed.

They stressed that timely release of funds was essential to ensure completion of these projects within their stipulated deadlines.

The convener directed the authorities to summon project directors of the Bilida-Prom, Bilida-Balgatar and Bilida-Jalgi link road projects to brief the subcommittee on their progress. He also expressed concern over the road passing through Hub and called for special attention to the Western Quetta Bypass.

The sub-committee then reviewed employment opportunities and recruitment initiatives for the people of Balochistan.

Officials of the Establishment Division informed the meeting that advertisements had been issued for more than 4,500 vacancies under Balochistan’s provincial quota. They said a dedicated cell had also been established within the division to monitor and facilitate recruitment-related matters concerning the province.

The officials explained that although recruitment against Basic Pay Scale (BPS) 1 to 4 positions had generally been restricted and shifted to the private sector, Balochistan had been exempted from this restriction by the federal government.

They further informed the committee that candidates from Balochistan had been exempted from technical tests and granted a five-year relaxation in the upper age limit. In addition, a 10 percent quota had been reserved for women and five percent for minorities.

The Establishment Division secretary had also issued special instructions to prioritise the matter and facilitate candidates from the province, officials added.

Senator Jan Muhammad Baloch, however, expressed concern over the appointment of candidates in Pakistan Railways on a contractual basis and stressed the need to consider their regularisation.

He also raised questions over recruitment advertisements issued by the Finance Division, Pakistan Military Accounts Department, Survey of Pakistan and K-Electric, QESCO.

Highlighting technical shortcomings in the online recruitment application system, the convener pointed out that despite the five-year age relaxation granted to Balochistan candidates, the recruitment software was preventing overage applicants from submitting their applications.

He directed the relevant authorities to immediately rectify the technical glitches to ensure that eligible candidates from Balochistan were not deprived of employment opportunities because of administrative and system-related shortcomings.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026