Rs442bln Diamer Basha dam construction contract awarded

ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday awarded Rs442 billion worth of contract for construction of Diamer Basha dam to a joint-venture firm of Power China and Frontier Works Organization (FWO).

The agreement was signed for construction of diversion system, main dam, access bridge, and 21 megawatt of Tangir hydropower project. The works on the project is commencing in a few weeks.

Diamer Basha Dam Chief Executive Officer Amir Bashir and a representative Yang Jiandu signed the agreement on behalf of Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and the joint venture firm, respectively.

Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing, Secretary Muhammad Ashraf, Wapda Chairman Muzammil Hussain and FWO Director General Kamal Azfar were present on the signing occasion.

Wapda Chairman Hussain said Diamer Basha dam would go a long way for economic development and social uplift of the country. “Wapda is committed to completing this mega project in accordance with the timelines to cope with the increasing water and electricity requirement in the country,” he said in a statement.

Diamer Basha dam project, with a total financial outlay of about Rs1.406 trillion would be completed in 2028. The total financial outlay includes land acquisition and resettlement, confidence-building measures for social uplift of the locals, construction of dam and powerhouses. The project has a gross storage capacity of 8.1 million acre-feet and power generation capacity of 4,500 megawatts with an annual generation of 18.1 billion units per annum, Husssain said.

Diamer-Basha dam is a concreted-filled gravity dam on the River Indus between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in Gilgit Baltistan.

Ministry of Water Resources said all efforts are underway to ensure timely mobilisation of the contractor and effective follow-up on Diamer Basha dam project.

Vawda congratulated Wapda and Power China-FWO joint venture, saying that the event is a good omen for construction of much-needed dams in Pakistan. “The construction of Diamer Basha Dam will commence in a few weeks,” he said.

Diamer Basha dam is a phenomenal project to ensure water, food and energy security in Pakistan. Dilating upon the developments of the water sector by the incumbent federal government, the minister said Diamer Basha is the second mega multi-purpose dam that is to be started in a span of just one year which is unprecedented in Pakistan’s history. This was after Mohmand dam, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in May last year. Chinese Ambassador Jing, Pakistan Army Engineer-in-Chief Moazzam Ejaz and Power China Chairman Yan Zhi Yong also expressed their views during the ceremony

Wapda has already awarded contract for consultancy services of Diamer Basha dam to Diamer Basha Consultants Group (DBCG) worth Rs27.182 billion. The consultancy agreement includes construction design, construction supervision and contract administration of Diamer Basha dam project.

The joint venture DBCG comprises of a dozen top-ranked national and foreign consulting firms, namely NESPAK (Pakistan), Associate Consulting Engineers(Pakistan), Mott MacDonald Pakistan (Pakistan), Poyry (Switzerland), Montgomery Watson and Harza (MWH) International - Stantec (USA), Dolsar Engineering (Turkey), Mott McDonald International (England), China Water Resources Beifang Investigation, Design and Research Company (China), Mirza Associates Engineering Services (Pakistan), Al-Kasib Group of Engineering Services (Pakistan), Development Management Consultant (Pakistan) and MWH Pakistan (Pakistan) with NESPAK as the lead firm. These firms have a vast experience of providing consultancy services for mega water projects the world over.