PAF War College delegates briefed on plans for water, energy security
Source: Dawn, Date: November 29th, 2022
LAHORE: A delegation from the Pakistan Air Force Air War College in Karachi visited the Wapda House on Monday and was briefed on the challenges and plans for water and energy security.
The delegation was headed by Air Vice Marshal Hussain Ahmed Siddiqui and consisted of Pakistani and allied officers from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe.
A briefing was arranged for the delegation about the water and hydropower sectors in Pakistan.
Wapda Chairman retired Lt-Gen Sajjad Ghani said the water situation in Pakistan could only be improved by constructing more dams, conserving water, adopting modern irrigation techniques and minimising water evaporation losses.
He said economic rejuvenation was possible through the development of an agro-based economy, and one more mega water reservoir after Diamer Basha Dam could bring a landmass, through which we could get economic benefits equivalent to $10 billion per annum.
The delegation was informed that per capita water availability in the country had come down from 5,650 cubic metres in 1951 to an alarming level of 908 cubic metre per year, pushing us to the stage of a water-scarce country. Pakistan can store only 10 per cent of its annual river flows, compared to the world average of 40 per cent. Pakistan has merely 30 days to carry over the capacity of water in comparison to India with 170 days, Egypt with 700 days, and the US with 900 days. The carryover water storage capacity will have to be increased from 30 days to 120 days. Likewise, the low-cost hydel electricity, which stands at 9,406 MW at present, also needs to be improved from the existing 28 percent to at least 50 percent in the national grid.
The delegation was also informed about prospects and plans in the water and hydropower sectors. The delegation learned Wapda is executing the biggest-ever portfolio of development projects in the water and hydropower sectors, worth Rs2.5 trillion for water, food and energy security of Pakistan. Diamer Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam, Kurram Tangi Dam, Nai Gaj Dam, Dasu and Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project are to name a few.
The under-construction projects are scheduled to be completed from 2023 to 2029 in a phased manner. On completion of these projects, gross water storage capacity in the country will increase by 9.7 MAF, sufficient to irrigate 3.5 million acres of land. In addition, hydel power generation capacity will also be doubled.
