The construction work on the Bhasha dam has finally begun despite the fact that the decision was taken about 50 years ago. In the previous government’s tenure, the construction of the dam was delayed until 2037.
Prime Minister Imran Khan visited the construction site on Wednesday where he was briefed about the project. In his speech, the premier regretted previous governments’ short-sightedness, saying China has over 80,000 dams including 5,000 big dams, whereas this will be only the third big dam in Pakistan.
This [Diamer Bhasha Dam] will be our third big dam. China already has around 5,000 big dams and a total of about 80,000 dams. From this, you can gauge the massive mistakes we have made in the past. Unfortunately, the previous rulers took decisions on a short-term basis and focused on completing the projects just ahead of the elections.
The dam’s 6.4 MAF (million-acre feet) water will irrigate 1.2 million acres of agricultural land. In addition to creating 16,000 jobs, the dam will generate 4,500 MW of affordable, environmentally-friendly electricity.
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Following his visit, hashtag #SindhRejectsBhashaDam is trending on Twitter as the people of Sindh voice their concerns on the building of another big dam on River Indus. Here’s what the people are saying about the subject:
Do you think the Diamer-Bhasha dam should be constructed? Let us know in the comments section.
