In a tweet posted on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan shared a video of the ongoing construction on the country’s two big new water dams: Mohmand and Bhasha.
After Mangla & Tarbela, five decades later Pakistan is going to have two big water dams, Mohmand and Basha. pic.twitter.com/lM8O5xewuW
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) December 8, 2020
Earlier this year, the Chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Lieutenant-General (retired) Muzammil Hussain said, during a Supreme Court meeting, that the two dams would be unveiled and functional later this decade. Mohmand Dam, informed the Chairman, was to start functioning at the end of 2024 and Diamer-Bhasha will be completed in the July of 2028.
Mohmand dam is expected to produce 800 megawatts of hydroelectricity and, when completed, the Diamer-Bhasha is expected to generate a whopping 4,800 megawatts of electricity.
The Diamer-Bhasha, at full capacity, will be able to store 10.5 cubic kilometres (8.5 million acre-ft) of water; water that will be used for irrigation, drinking, and producing electricity.
Mohmand dam is expected to irrigate over 16,000 acres of land. The surroundings of the dam will be covered with trees to maintain the balance of the environment.
The Diamer-Bhasha is being built on the Indus River near Chilas, Gilgit Baltistan. It is being constructed about 315 kilometres away from Tarbela Dam, another big dam in the country. The Diamer-Bhasha itself is expected to be the third biggest dam in the country, after Tarbela and Mangla.
With the country moving towards and focusing more and more on renewable energy resources, big projects like dam construction can prove to be a huge investment in the long run. Tens of thousands of megawatts of energy can be produced with these dams, allowing for the energy being used in the country to be cheaper and more sustainable for the environment. Consequently, Pakistan can then focus on reducing their carbon footprint by limiting their use of fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy resources to produce electricity.
