In Peshawar, following the resumption of work on Tarbela Dam, a Chinese company has now recommenced operations on the Diamer Bhasha Dam. However, work on the Dasu Dam remains suspended for the time being, with sources indicating that it will resume in the coming days.
Nazakat Hussain, the General Manager of Diamer-Bhasha Dam (DBD), confirmed the Chinese company’s return to work on the dam. Approximately 350 Chinese nationals have joined over 6,000 local staff already working on the project. The Chinese company had previously halted work after a tragic incident where five Chinese nationals lost their lives in a suicide attack on a Dasu Dam engineers’ bus.
The Diamer-Bhasha Dam, situated on the River Indus between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in Gilgit Baltistan, is a concrete-filled gravity dam aimed at hydro-power generation, set to produce 4,800 MW of electricity.
The Pakistani government had signed a contract worth Rs442 billion with a joint venture of China Power and Frontier Works Organisation for the construction of the dam on May 13, 2020.
Security measures have been heightened at the Dasu Dam site, and it is anticipated that the Chinese will also resume work there shortly. The recent visit of the prime minister and meetings with Chinese officials have further boosted the morale of Chinese engineers and staff involved in these crucial infrastructure projects.
