Indus River System Authority (Irsa) on Monday issued No Objection Certificate (NOC) for 800MW Muhmand Dam (former the Munda Dam) to be built on Swat river, with an investment of $ 3 billion. According to Irsa spokesperson Rana Khalid, the dam''s storage capacity will be 0.676 MAF which will supplement the water supplies to the following areas current facing water shortage:

(i) Palal Dam command area; (ii) lower Swat canal system; and (iii) Doaba canal system. The project will irrigate 6.7 million acres land and work on the project will start during the current month and completed in 2024. Munda Dam is a proposed multi-purpose concrete-faced rock-filled dam located on the Swat River approximately 37 km north of Peshawar and 5 km upstream of Munda Headworks in the Mohmand Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas

In May this year, Chairman Wapda Lt. General Muzzamal Hussain (retired) had stated that if the project is implemented through prequalification tendering then the work on the project would start on February 1, 2019 and completed by September 30, 2024; whereas if negotiation tendering is adopted then the work on the project can start on November 1, 2017 and be completed by October 31, 2022. The Prime Minister directed Ministry of Water and Power to adopt standard tendering process in light of PPRA Rules. The security audit of all power generation plants has been carried out by NESCOM. Munda Dam is also expected to protect Nowshera and Charsadda districts from seasonal floods by storing peak flood water in its reservoir and releasing it in dry seasons.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017