ISLAMABAD: The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) began construction on the main structure of the Mohmand Dam on Friday, marking a major milestone in the project set for completion in 2027–28.
Before starting this phase, key works such as river diversion, construction of upstream and downstream coffer dams, dam plinth, and excavation of dam foundations were completed.
Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Mueen Wattoo visited the site to mark the occasion. WAPDA Chairman Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Sajjad Ghani, project managers, and other officials were also present. The minister reviewed ongoing work at 14 active sites, including the main dam, spillway, diversion system, and power intake tunnel.
He expressed satisfaction with the pace of progress and said the federal government remains committed to meeting the country’s growing water and energy needs. He assured full support from the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure timely completion of all under-construction projects.
Located on the Swat River in the Mohmand tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the 213-meter-tall dam will be the fifth tallest concrete-faced rockfill dam in the world. It will store 1.29 million acre-feet of water, irrigate 18,233 acres of new farmland, and support irrigation on 160,000 existing acres.
With a generation capacity of 800 megawatts, the dam will produce 2.86 billion units of electricity annually and supply 300 million gallons of drinking water per day to Peshawar. It will also help reduce the risk of floods in Peshawar, Charsadda, and Nowshera.
