Funds arranged for 3 big dams: adviser

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Funds arranged for 3 big dams: adviser




By Ihtasham ul Haque

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: The government has arranged substantial amount of rupee component to finance three big dams, including Kalabagh and Bhasha, according to a senior official.

“Raising local funding is not a problem to undertake construction of multiple large dams against the foreign component of finance which can also be arranged at a later stage,” Economic Adviser to the Finance Ministry Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan told Dawn on Wednesday.

He said new financial resources to be provided for dams would not disturb the macro-economic balance, adding “everything is being finalized in line with the macro-economic framework of the country”.

About 60 per cent of the under-execution Public Sector Development Programme aims to improve physical infrastructure, especially projects relating to water and power, with a view to achieving 6-8 per cent GDP growth in next three years, he said.

“If we want to maintain our growth momentum, we will have to spend more on infrastructure development, particularly on the construction of large dams,” maintained Dr Khan.

In reply to a question, he said the government would not have to spend bulk of the funds on the three dams immediately. “Naturally, one large dam will be constructed at a time for which we are not short of funds.”

He said construction of large dams could not be shouldered by the government alone, but added that “arranging foreign funding will not be a problem”.

He said the World Bank had been funding big infrastructure development projects, including dams, in various parts of the world and Pakistan could also get such funding.

The economic adviser said that the construction of dams would start enormous economic activity, especially for the construction and steel industry, and added that it would also help create a huge number of jobs.

Meanwhile, a former Wapda chairman, Shamsul Mulk, said the government would have to hire foreign consultants and engineers to build big dams as the country did not produce many engineers after building the Mangla and Tarbela dams in the 1970s.

“To construct dams of the magnitude of Kalabagh and Bhasha, you will need a consortium of good foreign firms as well as the international panel of experts,” he said.

http://www.dawn.com.pk/2006/text/top1.htm

 

[Thunder]

Tendering to take 6 months: Wapda: Kalabagh dam




By Our Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: Chairman of Water and Power Development Authority Tariq Hameed on Wednesday said at least six months would be required for completing the process of international tendering for Kalabagh dam, its drawing and other technicalities.

However, he said, the work on major reservoirs like Kalabagh dam and Basha dam would start after receiving go-ahead signal from the government.

He was talking to reporters after inaugurating new building of Iesco’s computer centre in Islamabad.

He said if the government decided to initiate work on Kalabagh immediately, it would be ready by 2012 while Bhasha dam would be completed in 2016.

When asked about his opinion on which reservoir be given priority, he said that the feasibility for Kalabagh dam was ready while documents for Basha dam would be in hand by mid-2008, followed by Akhori dam by the end of 2008.

He said Wapda was only an executing agency but economics and politics were involved in the issue of reservoirs and political decisions were the domain of the government.

He said in the light of historical trends both the committees (technical and parliamentary) agreed that 35 MAF excess water was available for storage.

Commenting on reports that suggested Minister for Water and Power, Liaquat Ali Jatoi had demanded of the government to replace Wapda chief and Wapda’s member water, he said he had not become chairman himself but was appointed by the government of Pakistan.

Referring to differences between him and the minister on shifting of Pepco offices from Lahore to Islamabad, he said that Wapda chief was also the head of Pepco and there was no such decision that he would sit in Islamabad.

Regarding replacement of incumbent member water with an expert from Sindh as was reportedly proposed by the minister, he said that the member water in question was “most competent and has good experience of dams”, adding that he was “not ready to take any other person” for the slot who “has experience of working only on canals”.

He said that names of new Pepco chief was lying with the federal government and its offices would be shifted once the case is approved by the centre.

Referring to the delay in notification of new electricity rates, already approved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), he said that oil prices have increased manifold but there was no change in power prices after September 2003, adding that someone had to bridge the gap or it would be evident on Wapda’s balance sheets.

http://www.dawn.com.pk/2006/text/top13.htm