The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has signed a formal agreement with tribal elders to acquire the land needed to build the 800MW Mohmand Dam Hydropower Project, paving the way to initiate construction work on the project.
In a statement WAPDA said the agreement was signed with active support of the local administration, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government, local elders and Members of the National Assembly belonging to the project area. The tribes of Burhan Khel, Esa Khel and Saparay Mulagoree of Tehsil Pandiali and Pranghar and MNA from Mohmand District Sajid Khan and MNA from Charsada Malik Anwer Taj signed the agreement with WAPDA.
A total of 8675 acres of land is to be acquired for construction of the requisite infrastructure at the dam site, 56km long reservoir and irrigation network and re-regulation pond area. In contrast to other major projects like Diamer Basha Dam and Dasu Hydropower Project, where the process for acquiring the land has been lengthy, the formal agreement with the local tribes to acquire land for Mohmand was signed after only a few months on consultation.
Mohmand Dam is to be constructed on the River Swat in the Tribal District Mohmand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, with the project first suggested over five decades ago. The project is scheduled to be completed in five years and eight months with an approved PC-I of about Rs. 309 billion. On completion, the project will store about 1.2 million acre feet of water and generate 800MW of low-cost hydroelectricity. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs. 51.6 billion.
