PESHAWAR, Dec 24: Fata Rural Development Project (FRDP) has launched construction work on 'Aqrab Dagh' delay action dam in Mohmand Agency.

The project will cost Rs81.572 million. Speaking at a project assessment and evaluation conference at the Fata Secretariat here on Friday, FRDP spokesman Haroon Shinwari said that site selection surveys and feasibility studies for 12 delay action dams had been completed in different localities of Khyber, Mohmand and Bajaur agencies. He said that implementation phase had now been started.

“A lot of effort has been made to accumulate adequate financial, human and technical resources for the construction of these mega water reservoirs which will be completed by December 2011,”said Mr Shinwari.

He said that four sites each had been selected in Khyber and Mohmand agencies for the dams.

The names of dams and selected sites include Khunarai dam at Mullagori, Sapari dam at Jamrud, Bar Killay dam at Kam Shalman and Farsh dam at Loe Shalman in Khyber Agency; and Aqrab dam at Ekkaghund, Khurshid dam at Prang Ghar, Michni dam at Mohmand Lower and Yousafkhel dam at Halimzai in Mohmand Agency.

He said that small dam sites had also been identified in Bajaur Agency, but due to certain technical issues a decision about them was yet to be made.

One of the highlights of this initiative has been the contribution of local community towards the project. People of Burhan Khel tribe, the owners of proposed land where Aqrab Dagh dam is to be built, held meetings with the FRDP's project implementation team and assured full support in provision of land and labour for the project.

“To ensure transparency, tribesmen will themselves monitor and facilitate execution of construction activities along with the project implementation,” Mr Shinwari said.

It was stated that in a region where majority of population depended on water resources for scraping a living through agriculture and livestock, priorities were set by the government to launch Fata Small Dams Initiative (FSDI) to maintain rainwater reservoirs, raise water level, save agricultural lands from erosion and protect villages from flood in the three tribal agencies falling within the domain of Upper Fata.

Mr Shinwari said that these small dams would have storage capacity of 417 million cubic meters in Khyber Agency, 128 million cubic meters in Bajaur Agency and 111.50 million cubic meters in Mohmand Agency.