Chashma Right Bank Canal project to cost Rs 120 billion, CM told

Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, former Justice Dost Mohammad Khan was Saturday told that Chashma Right Bank Canal Project on the right bank of Chashma Barrage D.I.Khan was being constructed with the cost of Rs120 billion.
This was told to him during a meeting at CM Secretariat Peshawar in which he was briefed about Agriculture and Irrigation Departments. Caretaker Provincial Minister Anwar ul Haq, Secretaries of Agriculture and Irrigation Departments, DGs small Dams and Live Stock, Chief Engineer South Irrigation and other concerned authorities attended the meeting.
He was told that fresh PC-I of the project has already been submitted to the concerned Federal department. The Federal Government will bear 65% of the cost while the province will bear 35% cost of the project. He also highlighted other important aspects of the project and told that the head capacity of the project was 2613 cusec while cultivable command area was 286140 acres.
Briefing regarding construction small dams, he was told that 11 dams were being constructed under Annual Development Programme and further 8 small dams were also be under construction under PSDP. Four dams of Karak, Kohat and Swabi were near to be completed. The Caretaker Chief Minister directed to give priority to the low cost but the most beneficent in the vast interest of the public.
Speaking on the occasion, the Caretaker Chief Minister former Justice Dost Mohammad directed to plan conservation of perennial, ground and flood water resources etc in the wake of looming water crisis large in the foreseeable future.
He directed for inclusion of water conservation in the organizational chart of Agriculture Department, formulation of law against drainage of polluted water in the rivers and to enhance productivity through proper training and capacity building of the farmers.
He said that society needs to be sensitized to the importance of water conservations. The province should have a short, mid and long term planning to take care of the rapid milting down of glaciers, the squeezing water resources and should have a good moving forward vision.
The Caretaker Chief Minister said that agriculture was the mainstay of our economy feeding the dominant portion of rural population and contributing to the urban populations. "Malnutrition is the main cause of poor health, the quality of food will reduce spending on health related problems and it is the best prevention approach", he added.