Construction Diamer Bhasha Dam to Start in Current Fiscal Year
Construction activities on the main Diamer Bhasha dam and its allied structures will start during the current fiscal year 2019-20. The modalities for awarding the contract of the main dam and its allied structures have also been finalized, which is likely to be awarded shortly. An amount of Rs 99.238 billion including Rs 93.9 billion for land acquisition has already been spent on the project so far. A sum of Rs 61 billion would be spent on the project during the current fiscal year.
Moreover, the project would be divided into six major components for which separate contracts would be awarded in phases. The project dam would likely to be completed by March 2028. Diamer Bhasha Dam is a multipurpose project aimed at water storage, flood mitigation and power generation.
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The project is being constructed across River Indus about 40-kilometer downstream of Chillas town. The 272-meter high Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) Dam will have a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 million acre-feet (MAF).
The project will generate 4500 megawatt of electricity with annual energy generation of more than 18 billion units of low-cost and environment friendly electricity. With construction of Diamer Basha Dam Project, the life of Tarbela Dam will enhance to another 35 years. It will also have a positive impact on the annual energy generation of the projects in the downstream areas.