This was told during a briefing to the delegation of the 91st National Management Course of National Management College (NMC), Lahore here at WAPDA House on Monday. General Manager Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project, Dr. Izhar-ul-Haq and PEPCO Managing Director, Tahir Basharat Cheema briefed the delegation on water and power sector respectively.

The delegation was informed that the gross storage capacity of Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma reservoirs, originally at 15.74 million acre feet (MAF), has now reduced to 11.61 MAF due to natural process of silting. It was further stated that per capita water availability in Pakistan had gone down to an alarming extent of 1038 cubic meter. The delegation was apprised that additional 20.39 million acres of cultivable land could be brought under irrigated agriculture if water was made available by building new dams.

Dilating upon the on-going projects, General Manager Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project told the delegation that WAPDA was executing five dams, three mega canals, two drainage and five hydropower projects. As many as two projects in water sector and two projects in hydropower sector including Diamer-Bhasha Dam were ready for construction, it was added. staff report