WAPDA Releases Rs972.5 Million for Diamer-Bhasha Dam Development Schemes

The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has released Rs972.5 million for development schemes in the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project area as part of its confidence-building measures, according to Dawn, published 13 August 2026. The cheque was presented to the district administration during a ceremony at the office of the Commissioner, Diamer-Astore Division, in Gilgit-Baltistan.

What the Funds Are For

According to WAPDA's statement, the released funds will go toward schemes aimed at improving living standards for local residents and supporting socio-economic growth across the project area. This latest release sits within WAPDA's much larger commitment: the authority is implementing development schemes worth Rs78.5 billion under the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project — a figure WAPDA has consistently cited across project updates stretching back several years, covering resettlement of affected families alongside health, education, and infrastructure development in the region.

What the Rs78.5 Billion Actually Covers

WAPDA's confidence-building measures budget has funded a range of concrete projects for communities affected by the dam. Among the most visible: Cadet College Chilas, a Rs2.1 billion facility built by WAPDA to provide modern educational infrastructure for students in the Diamer-Bhasha project area. According to publicly available project documentation, the dam's original resettlement framework included provisions for nine model villages (budgeted at roughly Rs8.8 billion), land acquisition for agriculture and barren land, and compensation for properties and infrastructure displaced by the reservoir — reflecting the scale of land and property realignment a project of this size requires in the surrounding communities.

The Dam Itself — Why the Scale Matters

Diamer-Bhasha Dam is being built on the Indus River roughly 40 km downstream of Chilas, and will stand 272 metres tall once complete, making it the world's tallest roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam. It is designed to hold a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 million acre-feet, irrigating an additional 1.23 million acres of land, while generating 4,500 megawatts of electricity — an estimated 18 billion units of clean, low-cost power annually for the national grid. WAPDA has confirmed that roller-compacted concrete work on the main dam structure was scheduled to begin in early 2026, following completion of RCC trials and excavation work on the dam's abutment and foundation pit.

Local Employment and Resettlement Priority

WAPDA has repeatedly stated, including in a 2021 update reported by The Express Tribune, that people from the project area and wider Gilgit-Baltistan will be prioritised for employment opportunities generated by the project, alongside the health, education, and infrastructure improvements funded through the confidence-building measures programme. WAPDA's chairman has separately emphasised, during site visits documented by the Express Tribune, that resettlement, health, education, and infrastructure development in the Diamer-Bhasha and neighbouring Dasu Hydropower project areas remain an ongoing priority alongside construction progress.

What This Means for the Region

For residents and landholders in the Diamer-Bhasha project area, this release represents a continuation of an already-established compensation and development framework rather than a new commitment — the Rs78.5 billion figure has remained the reference point across WAPDA's public statements for several years, with incremental releases like this week's Rs972.5 million drawn against that total as specific schemes are implemented. Anyone with land, property, or resettlement claims tied to the project should confirm their specific entitlement and scheme eligibility directly with WAPDA's Land Acquisition and Resettlement division or the Diamer-Astore district administration, rather than relying on the aggregate figure as an indicator of individual compensation status.

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Sources

1. Dawn — "Wapda releases Rs972m for Diamer project", 13 Aug 2026: https://www.dawn.com/news/2022489/wapda-releases-rs972m-for-diamer-project
2. Business Recorder — "Diamer Bhasha Dam project: Wapda set to achieve yet another milestone": https://www.brecorder.com/news/40381976
3. Dawn — "Roller-compact-concrete work on Bhasha dam to begin next year": https://www.dawn.com/news/1940851
4. The Express Tribune — "Progress on Diamer Basha dam reviewed": https://tribune.com.pk/story/2493891/progress-on-diamer-basha-dam-reviewed
5. The Express Tribune — "'Diamer-Bhasha dam to change fortune'": https://tribune.com.pk/story/2282684/diamer-bhasha-dam-to-change-fortune