The documents also showed a significant increase in allocations for the development of local communities affected by the projects.
ISLAMABAD:
The construction cost of the Mohmand Dam and the Dasu hydropower project increased by a total of 1,607 billion rupees, taking the estimated total cost of the two mega hydropower projects from around 800 billion rupees to nearly 2,400 billion rupees.
According to documents presented by the Ministry of Water Resources to the National Assembly, the estimated construction cost of the Mohmand Dam hydropower project increased from 309.558 billion rupees to 665.743 billion rupees, an increase of 356.18 billion rupees.
According to the ministry, the initial estimated cost of the project had been approved under the PC-I when the contract was awarded. However, the revised PC-I, carrying the updated estimate of Rs665.743 billion, is currently under consideration for approval by the Planning Ministry.
The ministry revealed that the estimated cost of the Dasu hydropower project increased from Rs486.093 billion, approved under PC-I 2014, to Rs1.737 trillion, an increase of Rs1.251 trillion.
He adds that the second revised PC-I of the Dasu project was approved by the National Economic Council (NEC) in December 2025.
The documents also show a significant increase in allocations for the development of local communities affected by the projects.
Under the Mohmand Dam project, 160 million rupees had initially been allocated for the upliftment of the local population. Under the revised PC-I, the amount has been increased to Rs 4.5 billion.
Similarly, for the Dasu Dam project, the allocation for local community development has been increased from Rs7 billion to Rs57 billion in the revised PC-I, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
