Wapda asked to prepare new PC-1 of Nai Gaj Dam

on 24/12/2018

Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) is busy preparing a new PC-1 for the construction of Nai Gaj Dam.

Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar has directed the authority to finish the task within two weeks. The court heard a case regarding the construction of the dam in December. The authority requested for one month to accomplish the task but the court refused to entertain it.

Nai Gaj Dam is an embankment  currently under construction on the Gaj River in  gorge area at the edge of Kirthar Mountains range about 65 km (40 miles) north-west of Dadu city in Sindh. So far, a tune of Rs.16 billion has been spent on the project which  court says should not be wasted. Chief justice has already warned that the parties concerned would be held responsible if the dam was not built within the given time frame. Additional attorney general informed top court the PC-1 of the dam would be revised and a new contractor would be hired for construction. The CJP remarked that projects were started for ‘kickbacks’ and later abandoned on the plea that same were not needed. He also observed that no one from the Sindh government had appeared before the court.

He said the federal government was to release Rs 46 billion for the dam’s construction. About 51 percent of the project had been completed, but the Sindh government was saying that it was not needed anymore, he added. The CJP asked the additional attorney general whether the federal government had released funds for the dam.

On this, additional attorney general replied that Sindh government had changed its approach and was reluctant to undertake construction of the dam. The dam’s construction started in May 2012. It is estimated that water will be supplied from Nai Gaj Dam to 28,800 acres land in tehsil Johi and 300,000 acres in other areas of Dadu District. Moreover, Nai Gaj Dam will supply 50 cusecs of water to the Lake Manchar for decreasing its pollution. Furthermore, the water will also be supplied from the dam to Kachho desert and area of Kohistan in Dadu District.

73 Thari engineers return from China, takes over O&M of the new plant

on 21/12/2018

They shall take over operation and maintenance (O&M) of newly-built 660 MW Power plant of Engro Powergen Thar limited (EPTL) at Thar Coal Block II.

With an aim to create a highly skilled human resource from Thar and other districts of Sindh, a group 73 engineers have returned after completing their six-months training from China. They shall take over operation and maintenance (O&M) of newly-built 660 MW Power plant of Engro Powergen Thar limited (EPTL) at Thar Coal Block II. A total of 73 engineers including three female engineers sent to China under Thar Project, were trained at Yunnan Xunjiansi and Xinyi Power plant in China through a series of classroom and simulators training modules. Of these 73 engineers, 47 percent are from Tharparkar and Umerkot districts while the rest belong to other districts of Sindh.

Upon successful completion of their training, these young engineers have become part of the engineering team to operate and maintain Thar coal power plant of Engro Powergen Thar Limited (EPTL). The EPTL’s 2x330MWs power plant at Thar Block II is all set to supply electricity to the national grid in February 2019. Construction work of the plant is 96 percent completed. During the course, the trainees acquired training on simulators especially on Boilers while working on site at the Yunnan Xunjiansi Power plant which operates on the coal like Thar coal. During their training, they were trained on three levels i.e. Theoretical Training which was spread over 12 weeks covering various modules on Boiler, Turbine, Electrical, Coal Handling, Chemical & Ash Handling. – PR

Pakistan Cables signs MoU with UET, Lhr.

on 21/12/2018

Pakistan Cables Scholarship Fund set up to provide financial assistance to students

Pakistan Cables Ltd. Has signed a MoU with UET, Lahore to support the university’s scholarship fund that provides financial assistance to deserving students enrolled in the Electrical Engineering Department at Lahore and Faisalabad campuses. Pakistan Cables will also award Gold Medals to graduating students and offers equal opportunity to deserving candidates by ensuring gender balance among applicants.

“Pakistan Cables remains committed to contributing as a knowledge partner to the engineering community and UET has contributed significantly over the decades in providing skilled engineering professional in Pakistan. We feel extremely proud to support UET in its endeavors”, said Fahd Kamal Chinoy, Executive Director at Pakistan Cables. Pakistan Cables has a history of supporting academia through various initiatives to support youth development and empowerment in Pakistan. “Institution partnerships between industry and academia are vital for the growth and development of students”, said Professor Tariq Izhar, Chairman DEE. The signing ceremony was attended by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz, (Director FA & CS), Prof. Dr. Abdul Sattar Shakir (Dean F.E.E – UET), Mr. Zargham Nusrat, (Controller of Examination), Azmatullah Bhalli (Regional Head-Sales, PCL), Salman Tahir (Deputy Manager-PCL). Founded in 1953, PCL the pioneer in cable and wire solutions in Pakistan.n

Dr. Niaz Memon appointed Pro VC of QUEST Larkana Campus

on 21/12/2018

Dr. Niaz Ahmed Memon, an environment and water expert from Quaid-e- Awam University of Engineering Science & Technology (QUEST), Nawabshah has been appointed as Pro Vice Chancellor of university’s Larkana Campus.

He did his PhD. In Environmental Engineering in 2012 and is also an Affiliated Member of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) USA, a member Editorial Board of International Journal of Institute of Industrial Applications Engineers, Japan. Skilled in team building and accomplishment of result oriented tasks. He has 30-year professional experience in teaching and supervising the Research on water quality analysis, water quality modeling and Sanitation. He has provided Personal Consultancy for installation of RO Plants at Sea Water for six year besides preparation of EIA, ESMF, Resettlement Management Plan (RMP), SIA, ESMPs for World Bank donated Projects.

No progress in any projects outside Gwadar, claims a report

on 21/12/2018

No progress Less than $1bn has been spent in four years, CPEC cell tells Balochistan cabinet

No progress has been made in any projects outside Gwadar, revealed a briefing which was given to provincial cabinet on the progress of CPEC projects in the province. It showed a meagre share of the province in the overall portfolio of CPEC projects, a reported by the CPEC Cell said.

The major finding of the cell was that all projects connected with the western route have seen no progress whatsoever, and the overall size of the portfolio of CPEC projects in Balochistan is miniscule where less than 9 per cent of the total committed, around $5.5b billion, is for the province and less than $1bn has been spent in four years. Of this $1bn, around $200m is accounted for by the Hub power plant, a source quoted in the report said. The cabinet members described the CPEC spending thus far as `a joke` and they blasted the previous government for its inaction. In the energy sector, the cabinet was informed that the current shortfall of 700MW in the province means that all the new power injected into the grid as a result of CPEC power projects has not found its way to Balochistan and that Makran Division has still not been connected to the national grid. Two projects negotiated by the previous government Quetta Mass Transit and PAT feeder to Quetta water project will both be revisited by the new government.

`The debt and liabilities of both projects will be borne by the Government of Balochistan and the costs revealed in the feasibility are very high,` according to the source. The Quetta Mass Transit cost, for example, is $912m which is larger than the total development budget of the provincial government. The cost of land acquisition, displacement and resettlementand income tax and customs duties are not included in this figure. For the PAT feeder, the water will need to be pumped up to an elevation of 6,000 feet across a distance of 280km to reach Quetta, using 9 pumping stations at different points across the pipeline.

The project cost is Rs40bn, also to be borne by the Balochistan government. Outside of Gwadar, the cabinet was informed that the roads of the western route have seen no progress, and more than half of the Balochistan component of the western route is still not officially part of the CPEC agenda. Without the inclusion of these projects in the agenda of the Joint Working Group on Transport and Infrastructure, the projects are not eligible for con-cessionary financing from CPEC funding lines.

The federal government has committed to fund these from its development budget, but thus far the allocated funds have not been released despite a passage of three years. The cabinet members were also annoyed that the Hoshab-Basima-Sorab section of the road has been shown as part of the western route by the federal government even though this project began in 2006 and is part of the common alignment. The cabinet members agreed that the Balochistan government will take a bold and firm line for their province in the forthcoming Joint Cooperation Committee meeting scheduled to be held in Beijing next week. (ER Monitoring Desk)