The government has embarked upon an ambitious plan to store additional 10 mi
llion acre feet of
water by 2030 in order to enhance country’s
water storage capacity.
Sources told APP here that over 7.1 MAF
water would be stored through construction of Diamer Basha and Mohmand dams while remaining would
be met through building small storage dams in all provinces during the said period.
They said that physical work had already
been started on Mohmand Dam and it would likely to be completed before flood season of 2024.
The Mohmand Dam will not only generate 800 megawatt cheap hydel electricity but also store over 1.2 mi
llion acre feet.
Notably, for the past several years, Pakistan has
been witnessing a series of floods which not only resulted in loss of lives but also proved to be detrimental to the country’
s economy. At present, the total
water storage capacity of the country is 14 mi
llion acre feet (MAF), whereas its annual consumption requirement stands at 117 MAF. Due to a lack of storage, as much as over 10 MAF of
water goes into the sea every year.
