A legislative body of the Upper House, on Tuesday, expressed grave concerns regarding the delay in the compensation payments to the affectees of Mirani Dam.
Senators also summoned Balochistan Chief Secretary and secretaries of Irrigation, Revenue and Finance departments in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources, held in parliament with Senator Shamim Afridi in the chair.
The committee was told that a total amount of Rs3500 million compensation remained unpaid, which was to be divided between the Federal and Balochistan governments.
However, many affectees were still living in slums and had not been compensated for losses incurred during the 2007 floods in Makran Division, despite the passage of twelve years.
It may be noted here that the Mirani Dam was completed in June 2007 with a normal reservoir capacity, as a guard against normal flood levels. Yet, the area faced a super flood, only one month after the completion of the project; causing devastating damages to the land, houses, people, gardens and livestock.
Senators Waleed Iqbal, Syed Sabir Shah, Agha Shahzeb Durrani, Sana Jamali, Yousaf Badini, Gianchand, Water Resources Joint Secretary, Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project Company (NJHPC) CEO and officials from Planning Commission, Balochistan Government and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) attended the meeting.
The committee was told that as many as 1634 affectees out of a total of 2192 affectees had been compensated. Most of those left were said to be ones whose gardens and plantations had been destroyed.
The officials added the prices had gone up over the years and, therefore, compensation money should also be proportionate.
To which, the committee stressed the need to learn lessons from this disaster and pressed on efficiently drawn plans of action.
Senators also discussed the mixing of sewerage water with that being released from Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project. NJHPC CEO comprehensively briefed on the matter. He told the committee that an environmental impact study had been conducted while measurements were also considered regarding the outflow of water needed to dilute the sewerage input.
The committee also expressed strong displeasure at the delay in the finalisation of the project, PC-1, and the tendering process for Naulong Dam in Jhal Magsi, Balochistan, since first initiated in 2009.
It was told that the PC-1 has been prepared by WAPDA at an estimate of 28 billion and tendering would start soon.
20 per cent of the project was said to be funded by Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform while ADP would provide the remaining amount.
The committee noted that the price of the project, as well as compensation to affectees, would keep increasing as delay persisted.