Islamabad - The Chilas project will create 16,000 jobs in the country and boost the economy and tourism.
Published: Wed 15 Jul 2020, 11:27 PM
Updated: Thu 16 Jul 2020, 1:49 AM
Pakistan has started construction work on Diamer-Bhasha Dam, the third-largest hydroelectric dam for generating electricity, in Chilas city in Gilgit-Baltistan in the north of the country.
While inspecting the construction work, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that his government will, in the future, build the largest dam in the history of Pakistan by exploiting the hydropower potentials that will suit the environment, create job opportunities, revitalise the economy and boost tourism in the region.
He added that his country would stop importing mineral fuels and using coal to generate electricity, considering that the completion of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam would change the lives of the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Meanwhile, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (PEC) Chairman Lieutenant General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa said on social media that the dam's 6.4MAF (million-acre feet) of water would irrigate at least 1.2 million acres of the agricultural area in the country.
The hydroelectric power project will generate 4,500 MW of affordable, environmentally-friendly electricity and boost the cement and steel industry sectors, he added.
The project will also create around 16,000 jobs in the country.