Germany to build hydropower stations in Chitral

CHITRAL: The German government has drawn up a plan to ensure power supply to all the remote villages in Chitral by constructing hydropower stations and exploiting the available potential.

A delegation of the German donor organisation, KFW, led by its division chief Jens Clausen and other members Jahannes Heikmann, Dr Jordy, Dr Pervaiz Nayyar and others visited different sites in a number of valleys of Chitral including the Kalash valley of Bumburet.

Chief executive officer of Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) Masoodul Mulk accompanied the delegation. Masoodul Mulk explained the importance of hydropower generation to the delegation which would reduce the pressure on the forests on the one hand and meet the needs of energy for domestic use on the other. He said the low-cost electricity would also create job opportunities as micro level cottage industry will be boosted and it will ultimately lead to poverty alleviation.

He said that only in the Bumburet valley two mini hydropower stations with generation capacity of 50 and 100 kilowatts had been approved and would help promote tourism in the valley. The delegation also visited sites in the valleys of Lotkoh, Garam Chashma, Laspur, Terich, Torkhow and Yarkhoon and held meetings with the local communities.

It was learnt that the KFW would execute the projects of hydropower generation through SRSP while some would be entrusted to the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. The sources said that the KFW team expressed satisfaction over the hydropower generation projects already built by SRSP in Chitral.

The community participation approach would be adopted in the execution of the projects, which was already in vogue in the SRSP projects in which the representatives of local communities are provided necessary resources and technical expertise.. --('The News', 15 Mar 2011)

Comment

The steps taken to design and establishement of hydro power station is good for Chitral. Water is a renewable resource, so we have to utilize it as much as we can. Energy is also necessary thing in Chitral. To save ourselves from the loadshedding we have to establish good and heavy hydro power stations. Chitral has got so many rivers in every area and small dams should be design to store water in winter and development of such power resources will be beneficial for Chitral. We all Chitralis are thankful to CEO SRSP Mr Masoodul Mulk for his untiring efforts for Chitral. -- Fardad Ali Shah, (student KU),  Sanik, Garam Chashma, Chitral.,21 Mar 2011