LAHORE - The delay in completion of Rs 102 billion Mangla Dam upraising project has not only deprived the water-power-starved country of the last hope to get some additional water storage for irrigation within at least 8 years, but a power generation potential up to 644000 MW of electricity has also been lost this year. As the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has missed the April 2008 deadline for completing the Rs 102 billion project, the country would be suffering a loss of 150 MW of electricity on daily basis, which could have been generated during ongoing monsoon had the project been timely completed. Sources told The Nation that the technical team had cleared the project for enhanced storage in March this year after necessary tests to help Pakistan in stocking up 8.89 million acre feet (MAF) water against 5.88 MAF of the last season water to meet irrigation and power generation needs. Besides, the country has also been deprived of the additional storage which would had to increase its generation capacity by approximately 150 MW on daily basis from the existing powerhouse due to the high head of water. They said that the new reservoirs projects have not taken-off due to one reason or the other and their allocations in the development budget remained unutilised for the second consecutive fiscal year 2007-08. Keeping in view the urgency of the project, the government allocated Rs 20 billion in the current Public Sector Development Programme. But when requirement exceeded the budget, the project was provided additional Rs one billion in the third quarter of the last fiscal year. The project was provided Rs 21 billion against allocation of Rs 20. Wapda was to complete the Mangla upraising project till April 2008 with an approximate cost of Rs 102 billion to increase the water storage capacity up to 290,000-acre feet and the power capacity of the powerhouse enhancement up to 12 percent as 500,000 additional power units was to be produced for the national electricity system after the accomplishment of this project. The sources said that the increasing electricity demand and shortage of water in the country had pushed for the need of Mangla upraising project, which is tremendously important and would help to fulfilling the ever-increasing demand of power in the country. The height of the walls of Mangla dam is planned to raise by 30 feet. They said that Wapda had to distribute 64.2 billion rupees among the victims of Mangal Upraising project. They said that in this compensation, cost of the land, cost of the construction, and expenditure for the settlement and rehabilitation of the victims was also included, which was found less than the estimates. They pointed out that at the initial stage of the Mangla upraising project, 27.6 billion rupees were allocated for victims but later on it was enhanced up to 64.2 billion rupees. They said that gratuity would be paid to the government of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir after the completion of the project and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) had been signed with the government of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. He further said that electricity would be provided to AJK users at subsidised rates. Tarbela and Mangla dams are lifelines for Pakistan for decades as they are the only source of water storage and hydel power generation. With the passage of time, their storage capacity shrunk drastically due to massive silting. Mangla dam could only store 5.88 MAF and keeping in view slow process of selection of the newly identified dams, the government had undertaken the project of its raising to increase the storage capacity. They said that the feasibility and subsequent construction of the project was awarded to the contractors on an emergency basis in completing the project in record time.