ISLAMABAD-The cost of Garuk Dam located in district Kharan Balochistan has increased by 1,450 percent from Rs1.790 billion to Rs27.754 billion during last 12 years, mainly due to delay in the execution of work and enhanced scope of work.
Preparation of PC-I, tender documents and efforts for bidding were taken up multiple times and biddings were held six times during 2009 and 2010; however, no bids were received due to poor law and order situations, official documents available with The Nation reveals.
The cost of the project in original PC-I was Rs1.790 billion in 2019 to Rs10.511 billion in 2017 in first revised PC-I and to Rs27.754 billion in the second revised PC-I in 2023, the documents reveals. Originally, the project was approved by ECNEC in its meeting held on September 3, 2009 at a cost of Rs1,790.069 million. The Irrigation Department, later on, prepared a revised PC-I for the project and submitted it in the PDWP meeting held on 7th April, 2017. This PC-I was for a total amount of Rs12,674.69 million, and was based on the updated feasibility study report of 2010. This PC-I was approved by the PDWP at the submitted cost and scope of the project, without any sanction to the design, quantities and rates provided in the PC-I.
The Feasibility Study of the Project was completed in 2008 by the Irrigation Department, Government of Balochistan. Later on, the project was taken over by WAPDA who updated the Feasibility Study in 2010. Preparation of PC-I, tender documents and efforts for bidding were taken up multiple times at both stages. Specifically, biddings were held during 2009 on 3rd October and then again on 19th November. Biddings were also held in 2010 on 20th February, 24th March, 20th October and 23rd December. However, no bids were received due to poor law and order situations.
Subsequently, the PC-I was submitted in a CDWP meeting held on 19th October, 2017, where a rationalised cost of Rs10,921.125 million was approved. It was highlighted in the Minutes of Meeting that the detailed design of the project was yet to be finalized; however, BCR of the project as estimated in the feasibility report was complete and reliable. As such, the federal share was capped at Rs9.5 billion and increase in the project cost was suggested to be borne by the Government of Balochistan. ECNEC, in its meeting, held on November 24, 2017, approved the project at further rationalised cost amounting to Rs10,511.186 million.
The project aims at mitigating and storing flood waters of Garuk River, and thus an average of about 36,200 AF (44.65 MCM) water will be annually available for developing irrigated agriculture through an irrigation system for a total culturable command area of 5,059 hectares (12,500 acres) of the project as per the original scope of work. The project now also includes provision of water for drinking purpose to Kharan City as an additional scope of work.
The current state of 2nd revised PC-I is based on realisation of the tangible requirements of the additional scope of works and their link to essential changes and modifications in the project components, specifically the outlet works through the main dam and the proposed irrigation scheme. It is pertinent to mention that 2nd revised project includes additional scope of work amounting to Rs12.3 billion. Federal government will bear only its approved caped cost i.e. Rs9.5 billion. Cost over and above the approved cost will be borne by the GoB from its own resources as per NEC approved policy.