Minister Wattoo and WAPDA Chairman Review Diamer Basha Dam, Dasu HPP Progress

October 28, 2026: Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Moeen Wattoo, accompanied by WAPDA Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Saeed (Retired), today visited Diamer Basha Dam and the Dasu Hydropower Project to review construction progress. They toured the major construction sites at both projects.

Briefings and directions

The minister was given a detailed briefing on ongoing work at the various fronts of both projects. He met WAPDA project teams, consultants and contractors. He stressed the importance of Diamer Basha Dam and Dasu Hydropower Project for Pakistan’s water, food and energy security. He said all-out efforts must be made to complete both projects on time and to the stipulated quality standards.

Barseen Bridge inaugurated

During the visit to Dasu, the minister inaugurated the Barseen Bridge, a 225-metre-long arch RCC bridge on the Relocated Karakoram Highway (RKKH-1). The 20.4-kilometre RKKH-1 is being built under the Dasu project to CPEC standards and is expected to open to traffic by February 2027.

What the projects will deliver

• Diamer Basha Dam: on completion, it will store 8.1 million acre-feet (MAF) of water and generate 4,500 MW of clean, green and affordable electricity.
• Dasu Hydropower Project: a run-of-the-river project that will generate 4,320 MW in two stages of 2,160 MW each.

Background: where the projects stand

Both projects are on the River Indus. Diamer Basha Dam lies about 40 km downstream of Chilas town and is scheduled for completion in 2030. Dasu, in Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is being built in two stages, with WAPDA currently constructing Stage-1 of 2,160 MW. Diamer Basha is set to be the world’s tallest roller-compacted-concrete (RCC) dam at 272 metres, and is expected to supply about 18 billion units of electricity a year to the national grid. Stage-1 of Dasu is expected to provide 12 billion units a year.

In February this year, WAPDA said RCC works on the main dams of both projects would start during 2026, and that construction was under way on 23 work fronts at Dasu. More recently, WAPDA announced on 25 September that extraction and transport of pozzolan material from Gini, Diamer, had formally begun, a step towards constructing the main dam structure at Diamer Basha. On 23 September, the WAPDA chairman asked China Gezhouba Group of Companies (CGGC) International to deploy more resources and speed up work at Dasu, after discussing the issues holding up progress.

The latest announcement does not give updated completion dates, so the schedules above come from earlier WAPDA statements and may change.

Why it matters

Pakistan depends on the Indus for irrigation and power. Diamer Basha’s storage would add water security as well as electricity, while Dasu would add large-scale run-of-the-river generation. The minister’s call for timely completion and quality comes after WAPDA’s own recent push for faster work, and the Barseen Bridge shows visible progress on the supporting road network.

Conclusion

The minister’s visit underlines the federal government’s focus on delivering Diamer Basha and Dasu, which together are planned to add 8,820 MW of installed capacity. The Barseen Bridge inauguration and the February 2027 target for RKKH-1 mark progress on enabling infrastructure. The next milestones to watch are the start of RCC works on the main dams and further acceleration at Dasu.

Source: Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) press release, 28 October 2026; WAPDA news archive; APP, 15 February 2026; Water Power Magazine.