F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Projects of WAPDA for the financial year 2021-22 have been approved by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Water Resources on Monday.
The committee’s meeting was chaired by Nawab Muhammad Yousaf Talpur, it also had comprehensive discussion on the implementation status of its previous recommendations, and the PSDP 2021-22 of Ministry of Water Resources and its attached departments.
During the meeting the committee also app approved all the projects of WAPDA for the financial year 2021-22 and directed the government to include Naulong and Chirrah dams in the next budget, and it informed that the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had demanded Rs 178,282 million for FY 2019-20, out of which Rs 76,992 million had been released till now.
It approved the projects of billions of rupees including the Hydro Training Institute Mangla, rehabilitation of Hydro Power Project Dargai, Hydro Power Project Chitral and Hydro Power Station Warsak Dam, and uprising projects of Mangla Dam, Tarbela-IV, Tarbela-V, Hydro Power Project Dasu, Khyal Khawar Project, Neelum Jhehlum Hydro Power Project, Golan Gol Project and others.
Referring to construction projects of Bhasha Dam and Mohamand dam, committee was informed that the WAPDA had divided its projects in three categories. The projects related to Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam and Greater Katchi Canal had been given top priority.
Other than this regarding Naulong Dam, the Senate Standing Committee also underlined that
the Naulong Dam was an important project for Balochistan, which should not delay further and directed the government to include it in the top priority projects of the PSDP 2021-22, it also instructed that project of Chirrah Dam should also be included in the next PSDP.
The reason stated by committed was that water shortage issue in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad could be addressed.
During the meeting, the Senate Standing committee was informed that the Ministry of Water Resources faced problems to compile the PSDP as some provinces did not submit their development proposals.
Upon this matter the committee directed that in its next meeting, the PSDP details related to the Federal Flood Commission, IRSA and other departments, attached to the Ministry of Water Resources be submitted before it.
The Senate committee has also called for timely completion of the projects related to water resources, as any delay in that regard might cause loss to the national exchequer, it was also briefed on the matter of
Glacier Monitoring Network would be established to collect information about to the glaciers.
According to the project, basic data about snowfall on the glaciers and their melting would be collected on 34 points.
Senate body was told that, a field office would be established at Skardu and Central Monitoring Research Centre in Lahore and the estimated cost was Rs 892 million whereas Rs 225 million was approved for it in the FY 2021-22.
Regarding this matter, the committee directed that Rs 560 million should be approved for FY 2021-22 to complete the project.
The meeting was attended by members of the National Assembly Fazal Muhammad Khan, Ali Nawaz Awan, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Dr Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla, Ch Javed Iqbal Warraich, Naureen Farooq Ibrahim, Nuzhat Pathan, Khalid Hussain Magsi and Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari. Ch Shoukat Ali Bhatti and Saleh Muhammad, Parliamentary Secretary for Water Resources, and senior officials of relevant departments were also present in the meeting.
The WAPDA chairman, irrigation secretaries of Punjab and Balochistan and additional secretary irrigation Sindh attended the meeting through video link.
