PESHAWAR, May 20: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, will conduct public hearings in Swat on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports of Matiltan Hydro Power Project (MHPP) and rehabilitation of Chakdara-Madyan Road.

According to a notice issued by the EPA Director General Dr Basher Khan, the public hearing of the EIA report of the hydro power project would be held on May 23 at 11am at Swat Grand Season Fizagut in Mingora.

Similarly, the public hearing of the EIA report of upgradation/rehabilitation of road from Chakdara to Madyan on the right bank of River Swat would be held on May 24 at 11am at Tehsil Office Kabbal, Swat.

The EIA report of MHPP was filed by Sarhad Hydel Development Organisation (SHYDO) under clause 3 of the Pakistan EPA (Review of Initial Environmental Examination and EIA) Regulations, 2000, for review and approval.

Similarly, the EIA Report of the Road Project was submitted by the Frontier Highways Authority (FHA), Peshawar, for review and approval. The EPA has admitted these reports for review after the completion of legal formalities.

According to the EIA report of MHPP, this power station would be constructed over River Oshu in the scenic Kalam Valley. The project with power generation capacity of 84 megawatt would be completed in around six years. Around 250 workers and engineers would be required for this project out of which around 100 would be recruited from the same area.

The report states that maximum care will be taken to ensure that minimum number of trees is felled during execution of the project and that too under the supervision of the Forest Department and Forest Development Corporation.

About the road project, it is stated that the Malakand-Mingora-Kalam highway is available on the left bank of River Swat, which is under supervision of the NHA, and the villages situated on the right bank of the river have access to this highway through different bridges.

These bridges are very few in number and situated several kilometres apart, which creates multiple problems for the inhabitants of these villages. The road would start from Chakdara area in Lower Dir and after passing through various areas it would end at Kanju in Swat.