BHASHA, 27 April 2006 — President Pervez Musharraf yesterday performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the $6.5 billion Diamir Bhasha dam project that aims to relieve water shortage and generate hydropower in northern Pakistan.
The dam near Bhasha village in Diamir district will have a height of 270 meters and a storage capacity of 7.34 million acre feet of water.
On completion, the mega project would generate 4,500 MW of electricity to meet the growing energy requirements in the agriculture and industrial sectors.
The project was earlier named as Bhasha Dam, but after protests in the Northern Areas the name was changed to Diamir Bhasha Dam.
Pakistan is facing water shortage and according to a World Bank report the water storage capacity of the country is only equal to its 30 days’ consumption, while neighboring India has a capacity to store water that can meet its 220 days’ consumption.
The dam would generate electricity at a cheaper cost, protect low-lying areas from floods and boost agriculture in the country. Musharraf had announced plans to build the dam in his Jan. 17 address to the nation.
