Validation from international consultant will provide government strong legal backing for moving against firms involved in defective construction of NJHHP.
ISLAMABAD - The federal government will seek the validation of the report of panel of experts on 969MW Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHPP) from international consultant prior to moving against those responsible for the faulty construction.
The validation from international consultant will provide the government of Pakistan strong legal backing for moving against firms involved in the defective construction of the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project. The matter was discussed in a high-level meeting on the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHPP) to finalize and present recommendations for immediate remedial measures aimed at rehabilitating and operationalizing the project at the earliest. The meeting, held with Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal in chair, also discussed legal issues with Secretary for Law and Justice and the Attorney General of Pakistan in order to provide strong legal basis for moving against those who are responsible for the collapse of tunnel.
The meeting was attended by the Attorney General of Pakistan, Secretary for Law and Justice, Secretary for Planning and Development, Secretary for Water Resources, former Federal Secretary Shahid Khan and senior officials from relevant ministries. During the meeting, the minister emphasised the internal accountability process in connection with poor project management by WAPDA. The meeting was briefed on the project’s technical issues, stating that while some problems have been identified, accountability is under process.
Ahsan Iqbal expressed serious concerns over the delay highlighting that this has hindered timely investigations and accountability. He remarked, “From the outset, an accountability mechanism should have been in place to monitor progress and assign responsibilities, especially for a project of this scale.” The planning minister directed that two pronged approaches to the project must be pursued; including engaging an international consultant along with speedy completion of ongoing repair work.
The minister further directed that mega projects, such as the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, must be free of poor project management like Neelum Jhelum. While raising question to the capability of the NESPAK for dealing with big hydropower projects, the minister stressed the need for an independent validation of NESPAK’s work by international experts to avoid similar recurring events in future. Ahsan Iqbal said that reform of NESPAK must be undertaken on priority basis.
Referring to the Neelum Jhelum project’s history, Ahsan Iqbal criticized the decision to launch the project without ensuring its financial closure in 2007. “The project was rushed, without proper planning compromising the long-term viability of this critical national project,” he stated. The meeting concluded with directives to expedite the investigation process and improve the TORs. The minister also suggested involving international experts as part of the investigative team led by Shahid Khan to ensure transparency and accountability. He recommended that the consultant and contractor be given an opportunity to respond to the findings, ensuring that no party could claim they were not given opportunity to clarify their position. “The public has the right to know who is responsible for the delays and financial losses of such a significant project,” the minister emphasized. Notably, in the previous meeting of the committee, it was informed that the repair work of Head Race Tunnel (HRT) of 969MW Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHPP) will cost approximately Rs 23 billion and it will be completed in approximately eight months.
While briefing the review meeting on the progress of the repair work on Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHPP), the international panel of experts has recommended the establishment of adit to access to the fault line of the tunnel for starting the repair work. The experts have recommended the concrete work of the damaged part of the tunnel, which will cost approximately Rs 23 billion. The complete concrete lining of the entire tunnel will cost huge amount and it is time consuming. The panel has recommended adit of approximately 16km to reach to the fault line of the tunnel and undertake the repair work of the tunnel, the source informed. The source said that according the experts, the fault line is approximately 13km inside of the tunnel.
It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had constituted a committee to recommend remedial measures for repair/rehabilitation of Head Race Tunnel (HRT) of 969 MW Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHPP). The committee, which has been tasked to submit a report to the Prime Minister in a month, will also submit the cost estimates of the repair work and source of funding. The committee is headed by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal as chairman, while Minister for Water Resources, Secretary, Water Resources Chairman WAPDA and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) NJHPP are its members. The committee will also give recommendation on the financial cost of the work and the source of funding.
In July 2022 due to the blockage caused by the collapse of the headrace tunnel of the powerhouse the project was closed down for almost 20 months. The repairs work cost Rs6 billion and finally the supply from the project to the national grid was restored in August 2023. However, it was restricted to 530MW against the installed capacity of 969MW. Again major cracks were discovered in the headrace tunnel in April 2024 and the project was officially shutdown on May 2, 2024. Following the occurrence of the fault, the PM had constituted two members enquiry committee, led by former federal secretary Shahid Khan, and Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza, to probe the technical flaws in the construction of the project. To resolve these issues, an international panel of experts, including a prominent Pakistani geologist, was appointed to identify the causes and suggest solutions. The international panel of experts has submitted its report the government.