ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek –e-Insaf (PTI) has completed the construction of some 29 dams in Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa aiming to meet the needs of water for the backwards areas.
According to official sources, Balochistan government has completed a total of 22 dams and feasibility studies of 9 dams to irrigate thousands of acres land in the province.
These dams would reduce water scarcity and improve ground level water in respective areas.
The Baluchistan government has also planned to construct 49 new dams with estimated cost of Rs 6.451 billion of which the construction was expected to be started in the near future.
Baluchistan government has expedited the construction work on development of dams and also enhanced the allocation in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of current fiscal year to resolve the water scarcity issue in the province.
In financial year 2021-22, Rs 298 million has been allocated for construction of Awaran Dam and development of Command Area from a total estimated cost of Rs1.492 billion to harvest rain water as the area was dependent on ground water, ” he added.
The government had spent Rs 1, 500 million on the development of Bolan Dam, Rs 2, 000 million allocated for Naoulong Dam, Rs 1, 011 million allocated for construction of Gharoki Dam.
The government has completed multiple projects of small check dams to eradicate the water scarcity and refill the ground water level in the area.
While, the Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa government has constructed seven small dams constructed in various districts of the province at the cost of Rs 2.684 billion.
The completed projects have a total live storage capacity of 21694-acre feet whereas cultivable command area of the projects is 11710 acres cumulatively, said official sources of KP government.
The construction of seven small dams including Loughar Dam Karak, Khair Bara Dam Haripur, Karak Dam Karak, Jabba Khattak Dam Nowshera, Darmalak Dam Kohat, Ghole Banda Dam Karak and Mardan Khel Dam Karak have been completed in the period of three years. The construction of Zamir Gul Dam, Kohat and Bada Dam, Swabi was in progress and would be completed at the estimated revised cost of Rs 1.128.22 billion and Rs 1.921.408 billion respectively.
The KP government has underlined the need for speedy completion of ongoing small dam projects and directed the officials concerned to prepare revised PC-I for the construction of leftover Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects of small dams.
The construction of small and medium dams in KP would help boost agriculture production, besides mitigating acute water scarcity.
Moreover, ground water would also be recharged artificially, risk of flash floods would be mitigated, and poverty would be eliminated, he added.