The Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project was first conceived in 1989. Since then it has been victim to financial woes and corruption in the awarding of contracts. Last year, Nawaz Sharif finally decided the project had to be operational by the end of 2015 and completed a year after that. To that end he secured $448 million of funding from China’s Import-Export Bank. This money was badly needed as Chinese contractors had threatened to stop working because they were owed Rs4 billion in unpaid dues. Now that money too has run out and the project is still nowhere near completion. The government has often counselled patience over the power crisis, saying that we will have to wait for such projects to be completed before the country can start generating sufficient electricity. But it is hard to have any confidence in the government when it is unable to alleviate the crisis in the short term and is bungling long-term projects too. We will once again have to bring out the begging bowl to continue work on the projects as contractors do not have the money to operate on a faster schedule. At the same time, many of the contracts awarded are now being scrutinised in the courts over allegations of favouritism and corruption.
The endless delays in the project have the added effect of worsening our water problems with India. The only reason India was able to complete the Kishanganga project is because we hadn’t finished the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project. Under the Indus Water Treaty India is allowed to divert water which would otherwise reach Pakistan for its energy needs. Had we completed work that water would not have been available for India. The International Court of Arbitration ruled against us on the Kishanganga project mainly because we hadn’t demonstrated the ability to use the water for our own energy needs. The longer this project is delayed – and right now there is no end in sight – the more opportunity it gives to India to build more dams and divert more water. Thus, poor leadership and governance are only making it harder for us to meet our energy needs, which is also hurting national security. As the rivers begin to dry up we will face an even greater challenge in generating sufficient electricity and the fight over water resources will only intensify. Work on the project needs to resume and be completed as soon as possible, no matter the financial cost. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-8-300865-Deadly-delays
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