The Frontier Works Organization (FWO) efforts are in full swing to complete the Diamer-Bhasha dam. Earlier, 50 Volvo Dump trucks arrived at Karachi port for the project.
According to VPL Limited, a Pan-Asian Group Company, FWO will operate these trucks for multiple hardcore construction operations on site including excavation and tunneling support, etc.
In a statement, the company said that the new Volvo FMX is their most robust construction truck to date and can tackle any tough terrain or construction job.
Read more: Islamabad’s Sihala flyover entrusted to FWO for speedy completion
In 2020, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) awarded the contract for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam to a joint venture between Power China and FWO. The contract is valued at Rs.442-billion. Recently the government also approved Rs900 billion for the power plants of the dam.
Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority has awarded the contract of the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam worth 442 billion rupees to a joint venture between Power China and Pakistan's Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). #Infrastructure #Pakistan #EmergingPakistan pic.twitter.com/vh06nlSpcD
— Emerging Pakistan (@dev9_) May 13, 2020
Bhasha Dam is in the preliminary stage of construction. Upon its completion, the dam would produce 4,800 megawatts of electricity through hydropower generation and will store an extra 10.5 cubic kilometers (8,500,000-acre-ft) of water for Pakistan that would be used for irrigation and drinking.
Interestingly, the dam was scheduled to be completed by 2029. However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed WAPDA and FWO to complete the project by 2026.
“Nothing in this world is impossible therefore efforts to complete the Diamer Bhasha dam project by 2026 instead of 2029 should be made,” Shehbaz Sharif had said.
FWO’s role in building a sustainable Pakistan
Pakistan is on the verge of facing a severe water crisis in the future. Water supplies in the country were at their lowest level in five years as of April 2022, with the two major dams, Tarbela and Mangla, at a dead level since February.
As a result, the government is determined to mitigate the crisis. The previous government launched the Decade of Dams, meanwhile, the incumbent government is ensuring the timely completion of dams already in progress.
Pertinent to mention, FWO is often tasked with important projects. During the last 56 years, FWO progressed leaps and bounds becoming hence one of the largest civil engineering firms in Pakistan, contributing immensely to nation-building.
Read more: FWO ready to complete work on Kurram Tangi Dam
Among the multiple projects that FWO has currently taken, the Kurram Tangi Dam is also one of them. With FWO’s dedication, the project is set to be completed within the stipulated time i.e June 2023.
Once completed, the Kurram Tangi Dam, which has a capacity of 83. 4 MW, would control floodwater and irrigate barren 35,000-acre land, and make the province self-sufficient in agricultural production.