KOHAT, Oct 5: Work on 12 more dams would start by early next year in Kohat, Karak, Bannu and Hangu under the Drought Emergency Relief Programme. The construction of the dams was recommended by the small dams department on the instructions of the NWFP governor.

The sites for the dams had been selected and feasibility reports submitted to the federal government. It is learnt that the federal government will bear the cost of all projects which exceed the grant sanctioned by the Asian Development Bank. It is fixed at Rs60 million for each small dam.

Under the programme, four dams would be constructed in Kohat, six in Karak and one each in Hangu and Bannu. The sites selected for the dams are Zari Gul, Darmalak, Nakband and Surgul in Kohat district, Tora Warai and Barga Nathu in Hangu and Bannu respectively and Ghol, Baroach, proper Karak, Lawaghar, Mardan Khel and Pail dams in Karak district.

These dams would be in addition to the four dams in the same general area out of which three had become operational. The Sharki dam and few canals are yet to become operational. These dams would cost Rs593 million, regional executive engineer Nawab Ali said on Tuesday.

The work on the construction of canals of these dams would be completed before December 2004, he said. The farmers had been utilising the water released through the three dams for irrigation purposes.

The work on the Sharki dam had been delayed because of the non-availability of spillway valves and rains. These valves had now been imported and the water from the dam would be released before Dec 31.

The water in the dam was maintained at its dead level, which is about 40ft. Similarly, the water level in the Naryab Dam was at 72ft against its storage capacity of 110ft, water level at the Changoz dam was 95ft against its storage capacity of 112ft while in Khandar Dam, the water was eight feet below its actual capacity.

The Khandar Dam, the official said, had been constructed with the financial help of the ADB which contributed Rs4.67 million. He said that these four dams would cumulatively irrigate 12,500 acres besides generating income from fish production.

Although it was not advisable to store water in the under-construction dams, but officials had taken the risk for the benefit of people. About the seepage in the structure of the Naryab dam in Hangu district, he said that it was not unusual because there was always a provision for a certain amount of seepage in the design of earthen dams. Even Tarbela dam had the same problem, he added.

He said that the original costs of Naryab dam and Changoz dam in Karak had been revised after some design changes. The revised costs of both the dams are Rs225 million and Rs167 million, respectively.

Earlier, Naryab dam was to cost Rs191.7 million and Changoz dam Rs125 million. The escalation in the Changoz dam's cost had been caused because of misidentification of rock structure. It was found to be of much looser nature than was previously thought.

He expressed the hope that with the completion these irrigation projects, drought-affected farmers would get relief, adding that they would also help the province to overcome a shortage of food grain. These dams, he said, would also act as sanctuaries for migratory birds.