Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Construction work on the 4,500-megawatt capacity Diamer-Bhasha Dam has not started yet due to the negligence of the bureaucracy.

At least Rs39 billion has been invested in the project before the launch of the construction work. The PC-1 of the dam was approved at the cost of Rs894 billion in 2009 and it was to be completed within 12 years. The delay in the construction of the project has now made the cost of the project rise to Rs1 trillion.

Sources said the government acquired the land at the cost of Rs1 billion for the project, but the construction work was not started on time. The dam has to be built in the Diamer District in Gilgit-Baltistan and it has a water storage capacity of 8.5 MAF. This will help irrigate millions of acres of land in the country, cater to water needs of people, prevent floods and overcome the power load shedding in the country.

Pakistan is amongst the countries, which have insufficient water storage capacity. Pakistan can store water for 30 days. According to international criteria, it is mandatory for every country to have water storage capacity for 90 days. Egypt has the largest water storage capacity in the world; it can storage water for 1,000 days.