Mohmand, Dasu hydropower projects see Rs1.6tr cost increase
The estimated cost of the Mohmand Dam and Dasu Hydropower Project has increased by a combined Rs1.607 trillion, according to documents presented in the National Assembly. The revised figures also show higher allocations for affected local communities.
ISLAMABAD: The estimated construction cost of the Mohmand Dam and Dasu Hydropower Project has risen by a combined Rs1.607 trillion, taking the total projected cost of the two major hydropower schemes from about Rs800 billion to nearly Rs2.4 trillion, according to documents presented by the Ministry of Water Resources in the National Assembly.
The ministry’s documents showed that the estimated cost of the Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project has increased from Rs309.558 billion to Rs665.743 billion. This reflects an increase of Rs356.18 billion.
According to the Ministry of Water Resources, the project’s original estimated cost had been approved under the PC-I at the time the contract was awarded. It said the revised PC-I, which carries the updated estimate of Rs665.743 billion, is currently under consideration for approval by the Ministry of Planning.
The documents further showed that the estimated cost of the Dasu Hydropower Project has climbed from Rs486.093 billion, approved under the 2014 PC-I, to Rs1.737 trillion. This marks an increase of Rs1.251 trillion.
The Ministry of Water Resources said the second revised PC-I of the Dasu project was approved by the National Economic Council in December 2025.
Higher allocations for affected communities
The documents also indicated a sharp rise in allocations meant for the development of local communities affected by the two projects.
For the Mohmand Dam project, an initial allocation of Rs160 million had been set aside for the uplift of the local population. Under the revised PC-I, that amount has been raised to Rs4.5 billion, according to the ministry.
In the case of the Dasu project, the allocation for local community development has been increased from Rs7 billion to Rs57 billion in the revised PC-I, the Ministry of Water Resources told the National Assembly through the documents.
The figures presented by the ministry show that both projects have undergone substantial upward revisions in their overall cost estimates as well as in the funds earmarked for communities affected by the developments.
Taken together, the revised estimates place the combined cost of the Mohmand Dam and Dasu Hydropower Project at close to Rs2.4 trillion, compared with earlier estimates of around Rs800 billion.