LAHORE - Chairman WAPDA Lt Gen (r) Sajjad Ghani Thursday visited Diamer Basha Dam, being constructed on River Indus, 40km downstream of Chilas town. DG FWO Maj Gen Kamal Azfar accompanied him during the visit. CEO Diamer Basha Dam Company, CEO Diamer Basha Consultants Group, and representatives of the contractors i.e. Power China and FWO were also present on the occasion. Chairman WAPDA visited sites of dam abutments, diversion system, permanent access bridge, contractor’s camp and reviewed the construction activities. Earlier, the project management briefed about the targets and progress achieved. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2029. The chairman urged project teams to complete the project in earlier time frame. It is pertinent to mention that Diamer Basha Dam will have a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF sufficient to irrigate 1.23 million acres of additional land. With installed power generation capacity of 4,500 MW, the project will provide 18 billion green and low-cost electricity units on average to the national grid every year. With completion of Diamer Basha Dam, the life of Tarbela Dam will also increase by another 35 years. A sum of Rs.78.5 billion has been earmarked for welfare of local population in the project area. Besides, 4,100 locals of the project area have been provided employment opportunities. Jobs opportunities for locals will increase further with progress on the project.