Prime Minister Imran Khan visited the construction site of Diamer-Bhasha Dam on Wednesday and inaugurated the project which was envisioned 50 years ago. However, shortly after his visit, people of Sindhi raised their voice against building of another dam on River Indus. India also lodged a protest to Pakistan and China over their joint efforts to construct Diamer-Bhasha Dam in disputed Kashmir.
The government signed a Rs442 billion contract with a joint venture of China Power and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam. Chinese state-run firm holds 70 per cent and the FWO, a commercial arm of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, 30pc share in the consortium. Signed contract covers construction of a diversion system, main dam, access bridge and the 21MW Tangir hydropower project.
Construction work on the pending and long-delayed 4500 megawatt Diamer-Bhasha Dam will start in the coming months. The process of land acquisition, resettlement of the local population, and financing of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams were discussed in a meeting called by Chairman WAPDA Lt. Gen (R) Muzammil Husain. Diamer-Bhasha dam, that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in May will incur a total cost of Rs. 1,400 billion.