The Diamer-Bhasha Dam is located on the Indus River in northern Pakistan between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in Gilgit Baltistan.
The dam will have a gross storage capacity of 8.1 Million Acre Feet (MAF) and power generation capacity of 4500 MW.
With the height of 272 meters, it will be the tallest Roller Compact Concrete (RCC) dam in the world, would be completed in 2028.
Recently, Pakistan signed a contract with a joint venture of a China Power (Chinese state-run firm) and the Frontier Works Organization (FWO-a commercial arm of Pakistan’s military) for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam.
The contract covers construction of a diversion system, main dam, Access Bridge and the 21MW Tangir hydropower project.
The objectives of the project are
Fulfil the increasing water and electricity requirements of the country.
Serve as the main storage dam of the country, besides Mangla and Tarbela dams.
Help alleviate acute irrigation shortage in the Indus basin irrigation system.
Reduce intensity, quantum and duration of floods and reduce magnitude and frequency of floods in the River Indus downstream.
India has opposed the move on the grounds that Gilgit-Baltistan region is part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir that was illegally occupied by Pakistan.
