PAKISTAN’S FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) have been advised not to execute the multi-million dollar Gomal Zam dam project (GZDP) without carrying out environmental impact assessments and research on its effects on the socio-economic conditions of the area.
A survey conducted by the Sungi Development Foundation and Actionaid Pakistan, two NGOs working in the social sector, concluded that the GZDP may add to the complexities involved in the water sharing between the provinces from the Indus river system. The project proposes a 133.2m high and 150m long dam with its reservoir involving storage capacity of 1.4B m3 and live storage capacity of 1.1B m3. It aims to bring 66,000ha under irrigation and generate some hydro power.
The site is situated on the Gomal river, 120km from Dera Ismail Khan.