Daily Times

The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources on Monday apprised that the ministry has undertaken initiatives to increase the country’s water storage and the share of hydropower generation in the overall energy mix.

The committee which met with Shahadat Awan in the Chair was further told that as of now, there are six ongoing projects being financed by the Federal Government. These projects include Diamer Basha Dam, Mohmand Dam, Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme, Nai Gaj Dam, Kachhi Canal Project, and Dasu Hydropower Project.

The installed capacity of Diamer Basha Dam is 4500 MW and it will be completed in December 2029, while the installed capacity of Mohmand Dam is 800 MW and it will be completed in December 2025. Briefing the Committee, Secretary for the Ministry of Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza said that the focus is on the development of the country’s water resources and six entities were assigned to the ministry, namely WAPDA, IRSA, Federal Flood Commission, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), CEA, and Pakistan Commission for Indus Water (PCIW).

Moreover, the Committee was also briefed on the working strength of the ministry. In this regard, the Secretary for the Ministry of Water Resources highlighted that the total sanctioned posts of the ministry are around 135, which entail 38 posts of Grade 17-22 and 97 posts of Grade 01-16.

The total number of vacant posts is around 33. Efforts have been made to fill the vacancies but they remain vacant due to the unavailability of suitable candidates. The Committee recommended that the ministry ought to fill the vacancies in order to maximize the efficiency of the ministry.

While discussing performance, the Secretary for the Ministry of Water Resources stated that 18 projects worth around Rs. 603,036 million were completed in the last financial year. Of these, 15 were water projects and 3 were hydropower projects. These projects contributed around 2379 MW to the national grid.

In reply to a query concerning the demand for electricity, Syed Ali Murtaza apprised that the demand for electricity has seen a significant decline this year; however, the ministry is committed to the timely completion of ongoing projects so that the share of hydroelectric power can be increased in the overall energy mix.

Furthermore, Senator Shahadat Awan, Chairman of the Committee, stated that PCRWR has failed to submit its annual reports for the previous years. He recommended that PCRWR submit its last annual report before Parliament.