In the wake of the tunnel incident at Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project, Chairman WAPDA Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed (Retd) visited Tarbela from 9-10 November to review the situation at the Project. Member (Water) WAPDA Asim Rauf Khan, other senior officers of WAPDA, Contractor and Consultants were also present on the occasion.
Chairman WAPDA visits Tarbela 5th extension, reviews situation after raised intake incident
ISLAMABAD, Nov 10 (APP): In the wake of the tunnel incident at Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project, Chairman WAPDA Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed (Retd) visited Tarbela from 9-10 November to review the situation at the Project. Member (Water) WAPDA Asim Rauf Khan, other senior officers of WAPDA, Contractor and Consultants were also present on the occasion.
The Chairman visited in detail the Intake Structure, Tunnel, Power House and other important sites of the Project.
The Consultants, Contractor and WAPDA Project Management briefed him on the current situation and the measures taken so far.
Later, the Chairman presided over a meeting at the Project Office. The possible causes of the incident were discussed in detail. Short-, medium-, and long-term preventive measures to handle such situations and a strategy to address the current issue were also deliberated upon.
Immediate response measures were also finalised. Execution of immediate response measures has been initiated. Moreover, Consultants, Contractor and WAPDA teams were unanimous in their assessment that as of now there is no threat to the integrity of the main Tarbela dam or any of its critical structures.
The Chairman directed the Consultants to submit a detailed report covering all aspects of the incident at the earliest.
He further directed the Consultants, Contractor and WAPDA Project Team to execute remedial measures immediately and also finalise the contingency plan to minimise the delay resulting from the incident in overall completion of the Project, said a message received here on Tuesday.
He ordered a departmental inquiry to probe the incident holistically.
Ministry for Water Resources had also sought an initial assessment report of the incident from WAPDA, which has been submitted today.
Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Mueen Watto, who was following the incident all along, has also been briefed in person by Chairman WAPDA about the details of the incident.
It is pertinent to mention that the 1530 MW-Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project is being constructed on Tunnel No 5 of Tarbela Dam with financial assistance from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
