ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s two highest project sanctioning bodies had ordered review of lapses on part of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) in selection of consultants and “weaker design” of the Rs316 billion worth Tarbela 5th Extension Project, official documents revealed on Tuesday.
The documents showed that the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) had instructed for establishing a committee, led by the water resources minister, to review all the procedural lapses and delays in project design and execution.
The CDWP – the first administrative tier for approval of the development projects – gave these instructions in May this year, while the ECNEC followed in August at the time of approval of the project, according to the official documents.
In light of the CDWP instructions, the Planning Commission had written to the Water Resources Ministry, which is the sponsoring ministry of the scheme, in June this year to establish the committee. So far, no committee has been established, according to an official of the Planning Commission.
The spokesman for Wapda did not respond to a query whether any remedial measures were taken in the light of the federal government’s instructions. The Ministry of Water Resources also did not comment on the matter.
A breach in a protective embankment at the Tarbela dam’s T-5 Hydropower Project on Monday caused a large volume of water to flood its tunnel-5, prompting the suspension of construction work indefinitely, according to a report that appeared in The Express Tribune.
The report, while referring to the Wapda’s statement, said that during the tunnel excavation of the second bench connecting the tunnel, a weak rock mass collapsed, causing water from the Intake Pit to enter the tunnel and the powerhouse area.
“The water from the Intake Pit has been completely drained, and no further water is entering the downstream work sites,” the statement said, adding that dewatering from the under-construction powerhouse had started,” it added.
The statement also said that “there is no damage to the main tunnel, under-construction powerhouse, and tailrace culvert or switch yard. Reports of tunnel collapse are incorrect”.
Wapda is executing the project to convert the 5th irrigation tunnel of the Tarbela Dam for hydropower generation. The project involves the scaling up of power generation capacity by adding 1,410 MW to an existing Tunnel-5 of Tarbela Dam.
The tunnel is presently being used to release water for irrigation only when the reservoir level is below the minimum spillway operating level and water releases from the existing power units is not adequate.
With the powerhouse installed, the tunnel would continue to carry out the same function and in addition water released from spillway would be diverted through Tunnel-5 and only remaining water would be passed over the spillway.
The official record showed that while chairing the CDWP meeting in May this year, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal “observed that there are serious lapses on part of Wapda regarding selection of consultants, delay in implementation, weaker design and increase in the cost of the project”.
As happens in most of the cases, the CDWP decided that “in view of strategic importance of the project for the safety and operation of Tarbela Reservoir and availing World Bank additional financing, the project may be submitted for consideration of ECNEC with the recommendation that a high-level Committee may be constituted by ECNEC under Federal Minister Water Resources”.
The committee’s task was “to review all the gaps on part of WAPDA regarding hiring of consultant, enhancing scope of work due to change in design, variation orders (VOs) of the project and rationalisation of cost of the revised PC-1 of the project to ensure transparency and avoid mismanagement in implementation of the Tarbela 5th Extension Project”.
Officials said that the Ecnec, which is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, also upheld the decision of the CDWP. While considering the project for final approval in August this year, “the ECNEC approved the proposal contained at para-18 of the summary with directions to execute the project in accordance with timelines and to ensure that no further cost escalation takes place.”
The para 18 of the Ecnec summary underlined that the revised PC-I was approved at a total cost of Rs 316.4 billion including foreign loan of Rs180.7 billion.
But Ecnec also directed that a high-level committee may be constituted under the federal minister for water resources and planning, member infrastructure and the member monitoring and evaluation section as members to review all the procedural lapses and delays on part of Wapda regarding selection of consultants, enhancing scope of work due to change in design/variation orders (VOs) of the project and rationalisation of cost of the revised PC-I of the project to ensure transparency and avoid mismanagement in implementation of the Tarbela 5th Extension Project.
In the first week of this month, the Planning Ministry issued the authorisation orders and asked the Water Resources Ministry to issue administrative approval in accordance with the Ecnec decision. Ecnec had also allowed the implementation period of the project till June 2028.
