Chairman Muzammil Hussain of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) estimated that water from the new dams might irrigate 20 million acres of uncultivated land.
On Friday, the Wapda chief told a team from the National Defence University (NDU) – National Security Workshop that the body was working on a variety of megaprojects that would be finished in stages by 2029.
In addition to providing water and food security, Wapda is implementing a hydroelectric power generation expansion plan to help the country attain energy security, according to the chairman.
“We don’t simply need electricity; we need inexpensive electricity to keep the wheels of our economy turning and to address our energy sector’s massive circular debt,” he said.
According to a release, the projects will expand the country’s water storage capacity to 24 million acre feet (MAF) from 13 MAF, an increase of roughly 11 MAF from new dams, allowing it to irrigate about 1.6 million acres of land.
