Small dams must be completed on priority basis: Senate panel tells ministry, Wapda

A parliamentary panel Wednesday directed the Ministry of Water Resources and the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to complete approved projects of small dams on priority basis to provide safe drinking water to people and bring more land under cultivation. The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources met here with Senator Shamim Afridi in the chair. The committee directed the relevant officials that small dams such as Khazana Band Dam, Bara Dam and Chiniot Dam must be completed on priority basis.
The committee members said that these dams will not only provide safe drinking water to the people but will also help them bring barren land under cultivation as well as generate cheap electricity.
The committee was briefed by the officials of Ministry of Water Resources and WAPDA. Briefing on Chiniot Dam, the officials said that the WAPDA had approved the project in 1986, adding according to the feasibility study it could store water for irrigation purposes in addition to generating 80 megawatts of electricity.
The committee was briefed that the site for Khazana Band Dam was changed from the initial site after conducting feasibility study and survey by engineers. A sum of Rs 35 million has already been released earlier this year to provincial irrigation department for constructing Khazana Dam in district Musakhel of Balochistan.
The officials said that PC-1 of Rs 300 million has also been prepared and Rs 276 million have been approved for constructing the dam. The officials further said a sum of Rs 300 million has also been allocated for Khazana Dam, Zimri, district Musakhel, in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2017-18. While an amount of Rs 50 million has also been reserved for constructing Khazana Dam, Zimri, district Musakhel.
To ensure irrigation of 41,729 acres of land in erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and to generate 5.8 megawatts electricity, the former government decided to construct Bara Dam project in Khyber Agency. The scheme would cost the government Rs 20.651 billion through the PSDP. The proposed axis of dam is located about one kilometer downstream of the confluence of Bara River with Mastura River and 3.07 kilometers upstream of the diversion weir of Bara River Canals Scheme (BRCS).
The project is expected to meet the irrigation needs of 41,729 acres of cultivable command area, assure releases in the river to meet the water supply needs of Peshawar cantonment and industrial units dependent on the river water. It will also produce 5,400 million gallons per year of treated water to meet the drinking water needs of adjoining areas of the FATA and Peshawar. In addition, with the project development, flood damages along the downstream reaches of Bara River will be avoided. A powerhouse is proposed at the outlet having a capacity of 4.8 MW and another of 1 MW capacity.
The committee emphasised on prioritising a small number of water projects for Balochistan and other areas as well as working on them in the first phase so that funds can be released and projects can be completed instead of starting a huge number of projects and getting done with none.
The committee was given assurance by the Wapda that it is not selective in executing projects and given the funds and administrative authority, it is willing to complete all projects. The meeting was attended by Senators Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Sardar Azam Khan Musakhel, Usman Khan Kakar, Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Sabir Shah, Gianchand and Mir Muhammad Yousaf Badini besides secretary water resources, chairman Wapda as well as officials of the ministry.