Diamer Basha Dam Project: Jirga settles boundary dispute between tribes
The centuries-old border dispute between the Thor and Herban tribes was settled on Tuesday, which will not only facilitate the completion of the Diamer Basha Dam Project but will also pave the way for the settlement of the border dispute between Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The historic announcement was made by the 26-member Thor-Herban Grand Jirga, mandated for settlement of the dispute, in a ceremony held at the Diamer Basha Dam Project site.
Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his “pleasure” at the settlement in a post on his Twitter, saying the development will ensure the “smooth and timely” completion of the Diamer Basha Dam project.
Besides the Jirga members, Chairman Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd), Commander Force Command Northern Areas General Jawwad Ahmed, General Manager Land Acquisition and Resettlement WAPDA Brig Shoaib Taqi (Retd), local politicians, elders and a large number of people from Thor and Herban tribes attended the ceremony.
The Thor-Herban Grand Jirga was constituted in 2019 to resolve the boundary dispute between the two tribes. The Jirga had a series of detailed deliberations during the last two years, which was facilitated by WAPDA and civil administrations of GB and KP.
As per the decision of the grand jirga, cheques worth Rs. 400 million were presented to the affectees of the 2014 clash between the two tribes claiming lives and properties.
In 2020, WAPDA awarded a contract valued at around Rs. 442 billion (US$ 5.8 billion) to a joint venture of Power China-FWO for the construction of the diversion system, main dam, and access bridge for the 4500MW Diamer Bahasa dam, as well as the 21MW Tangir hydropower project.
The contract for consultancy services for the project has been awarded to Diamer Basha Consultants Group (DBCG). The consultancy agreement includes construction design, construction supervision and contract administration of the Diamer Basha Dam Project.
The Joint Venture DBCG comprises 12 top-ranked national and foreign consulting firms, which also include the China Water Resources Beifang Investigation, Design and Research Company (China). These firms have vast experience in providing consultancy services for mega water projects the world over.
The Diamer Basha Dam Project is being constructed on River Indus, which is scheduled to be completed in 2028-29. The Project will have a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF to irrigate 1.23 million acres of additional land. With an installed power generation capacity of 4,500 MW, the project will provide more than 18 billion units per annum to the National Grid.
