Aamer A.Najmee
The federal government has undertaken number of hydropower projects also in different parts of the country as part of its efforts to maximize power generation and getting rid of the lingering menace of electricity load shedding at the earliest possible.Dasu hydropower project, located in district Kohistan in Khyber Pukhtoonkhwah (KPK) on mighty Indus river upstream of Dasu town, is one of these projects work on which is proceeding quite speedily to complete all formalities before actual construction work is taken in hand in the right earnest. According to the reports, Dasu hydropower project is to be completed in two phases by 2021 and expected to generate 2100 megawatt of power. Two contracts worth Rs 180 billion have already been awarded to a Chinese firm for carrying out civil works in the first stage of the hydropower project. For expediting work on Dasu hydropower project, in yet another significant development WAPDA has secured a sum of Rs 144 billion under an agreement of local debt financing with a consortium of local banks led by Habib Bank and this is reported by far the biggest single loan agreement for any public sector entity in the history of Pakistan.
It is also good to note that this huge financing for development of hydropower resources in the country has been made possible through the support of the prime minister and the federal ministers concerned and this amply shows the commitment and determination of the prime minister to take all possible measures for providing much needed relief to the peope from lingering electricity load shedding.
