http://www.dawn.com/2006/04/27/top1.htm


All reservoirs will be built: Musharraf: Diamer-Bhasha dam project launched


DIAMER, April 26: President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday performed the ground-breaking of $6.5 billion Diamer-Bhasha dam and declared that all dams, including Kalabagh, would be built under the ‘2016 Water Vision’ to meet the growing water and energy requirements of the country.

“Water and energy are matters of life and death for us. We have to build all dams,” he said at the ceremony.

“We have lagged far behind and have to work at a fast pace to catch up with the rest of the world,” he said.

Apart from Diamer-Bhasha and Kalabagh, the water vision envisages construction of Akori, Munda and Kuram Tangi dams by the year 2016.

The president said the past leadership lacked vision and interest to construct big reservoirs for meeting future requirements.

He held out the assurance that the government would remove apprehensions of the NWFP and Sindh vis-a-vis water issues.

“With the support of the nation, we shall move forward and achieve the goal of sustainable development,” he said at the ceremony, also attended by chief ministers of NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan.

He said if there were any controversy on other dams, the work on Bhasha dam could have been started in 1990s and the dam would have been completed by now.

Emphasising the need for constructing major reservoirs, Gen Musharraf said: “We need water to develop our agriculture while cheap energy is needed for industrial development.”

He regretted that Pakistan was producing a mere 6,000MW electricity through hydel projects against its capacity of generating 40,000MW.

He alluded to the setting up of 14 independent power producers in 1994 which were selling electricity at the rate of Rs.7 per unit against Re1 per unit generated through hydro projects.

“The entire nation is suffering from this,” he said and vowed to convert the losses caused by expensive electricity into a success by constructing water reservoirs.

President Musharraf recalled that soon after taking over he had given priority to the building of water reservoirs and initiated feasibility study of Bhasha dam in 2001.

“The work on Bhasha dam has now started and we will build all dams...we will build Kalabagh and Akori dams,” he said, adding that all guarantees would be provided to the NWFP and Sindh in this regard.

He pointed out that 35 million acre feet (MAF) of water was wasted every year, which was equivalent to the capacity of six Bhasha dams.

“This is despite the fact that the country is currently facing 9MAF of water shortage which would grow to 15-20MAF by 2020. I will not let Pakistan commit suicide because of water and energy shortage.”

He said work was already under way on raising the capacity of Mangla dam which would help save 2.9MAF of additional water and help produce cheap electricity.

COMPENSATION: Gen Musharraf announced a compensation package for those who would be displaced by the construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam.

He said the government would provide 15 per cent more than the present value in case of land and 10 per cent extra in case of a house in compensation. Besides, he added, Rs300,000 would be given in compensation for land that would be flooded by the dam water.

He said that five-marla and one-kanal residential plots would also be given to the would-be affectees to build their houses in nine model villages.

The president announced that vocational training would be provided to the area people and said that construction of dam would create a lot of job opportunities.

He said that construction of Bhasha lake would also create economic opportunities for locals as it would promote fishing.

He said in view of the construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam Karakoram Highway would be broadened which in turn would help increase trade with China and generate employment opportunities.

SALIENT FEATURES: Diamer-Bhasha dam will be Pakistan’s biggest reservoir. It will generate 4,500MW of electricity with a gross storage capacity of 7.3MAF. The dam will be located on the Indus river about 315km upstream of Tarbela Dam, 165km downstream of Gilgit, 40km west of Chilas and 210km north Islamabad.

The dam will have maximum height of 270 metres and impend a reservoir of about 7.4MAF, with a live storage capacity of more than 6.4MAF.

The dam will preserve 15 per cent of annual flow of Indus river, covering an area of 110sq-km.

Owing to its design that prevents silting, the dam will be the highest ‘roller compacted concrete’ type in the world, with an estimated lifespan of 100 years.

It is estimated that the present 5MAF loss of Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma reservoirs will be increased to 6MAF by the year 2012. The Diamer-Bhasha dam will provide about 6.4MAF of annual surface water storage for irrigation supplies during low-flow periods.

The present demand of electricity in the country is about 17,000MW which is estimated to cross 22,000MW by the year 2010. The contribution of 4,500MW power from Diamer-Bhasha dam will go a long way in alleviating the situation.—APP

Excellent, Kalabagh Dam should be the next, Pakistan needs a lot of water. Water level is going down day by day, it 's the need of the time, already lost too much time. No politician just a strong man

one question this dam alone is costing $6 billion + where are we gonna get funding for such large projects completing wat 4 dams total cost about $15 billion+. is the government funding it or private sectore will be invited to invest in it..

This will help our economy keep up the pace.

World Bank, ADB ,IDB and many other countries if Pakistan is on existing track.

they would be funded by all means available...foriegn loans,stock exchanges, private sector and government development fund...

The significance of these dams are enormous.

1. They would take our GDP beyond 165bnUSD
2. Agriculture growth will rise up to double digits with in first year of the diyamerr bhasha dam.
3. Electricity deficit would be converted into electricity surplus
4. Sea intrusion in low perennial areas such as thata and budien would be stopped through the water available.
5. These dams are guaranties of prosperity in the low developed fertile areas of Balochistan and interior sindh.
and so many other countless benefits are attached to these projects.

Pakistan can get bumper crop even if they get some rain at the right time then imagine with all that water agriculture growth can hit %10 or more so that alone would take GDP long way and cheap eletricity will be also a plus and these dams will be funded by GOP, ADB, WB, and IDB. And may be some other foriegn loans.

Plenty of irrigation and good water mamangement, can change the regions bordering the thar desert into farms. Couple this with modernized farming methods, we can grow so much food local rpices will fall dramtically and we'll have a huge amount to export to markets such as the middle east and China who need a lot of food.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/05/13/top12.htm


Diamer-Bhasha project to get Rs12bn




By Our Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD, May 12: The government has decided to allocate about Rs12 billion for Diamer-Basha dam in the next year’s development programme to complete infrastructure required for the construction of dam.

A senior government official said on Friday that the allocated amount would be utilised for the preliminary construction works, including a bridge and a road besides residential buildings.

He said the idea was to ensure that the required infrastructure was fully in place before its construction work started after two to three years.

He said there would be no major allocation for any other major dams in the next year’s budget. But, he said, some funds would be made available in the next year’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the construction of about Rs100 billion Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric power project in the Azad Kashmir.

The estimated cost of the Diamer-Basha dam is $6.7 billion, including an updated feasibility report.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...3-5-2006_pg7_27



Tuesday, May 23, 2006

India makes formal Basha protest

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: India has conveyed an official protest to Pakistan against the construction of Basha Dam on the Indus River in Pakistan’s Northern Areas, a minister said on Monday.

In a written reply, Union Water Resources Minister Prof Saifuddin Soz told the Lok Sabha that the protest, conveyed through diplomatic channels, has been made on the grounds that “the dam is being constructed in territory that is part of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India by virtue of its accession to it in 1947”.

He said the reservoir of the dam, according to media reports, will inundate large parts of land in the “northern part of the State of Jammu and Kashmir”. Pakistan proposes to complete the construction of the dam by 2016.

hahahahah
they wanna play dirty..
well internationally AZAD KASHMIR is considered part of Pakistan and Jammu Kashmir of india is considered disputed area.
well the dam does not violate Indus treaty so they can do nothing just watch and whinge. if they think they will use this dam to construct their dam which will effect the flow of water in pakistan than i dont think they will be able to suceed.

i think pakistan shud ignore it. its just their whinging habbit taking over again.
if u pay attention to dog barking it will bark even more so beta ignore them.