ISLAMABAD: The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) is all set to achieve a major milestone to divert the River Indus by the end of November, 2023 for the Diamer Basha Dam project.

Official sources told the Media here that the River Indus was being diverted through an almost one-kilometer long diversion tunnel and 0.8-kilometer diversion canal.

River Indus would flow through the diversion system and re-join its natural course downstream of main dam site, they said.

They said that the river diversion was one of the key activities for the implementation of this mega multi-purpose project.

The upstream starter (coffer) dam to facilitate river diversion under stage 1 had already been completed, they said.

Diamer Basha Dam is scheduled for completion in 2028.

It has a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF to irrigate 1.23 million acres of additional land.

Power generation capacity of the project stands at 4,500 MW, with annual energy of 18 billion units green and clean hydel electricity.

A sum of Rs.78.5 billion is being spent on resettlement of affectees and CBMs in health, education and infrastructure development.

Newspakistan.tv/APP