The documents also showed a significant increase in allocations for the development of local communities affected by the projects.
ISLAMABAD:
The construction cost of the Mohmand Dam and the Dasu hydropower project has increased by a combined total of Rs 1,607 trillion, raising the total estimated cost of the two mega hydropower projects from around Rs 800 billion to nearly Rs 2.4 trillion.
According to documents tabled by the Ministry of Water Resources in the National Assembly, the estimated construction cost of the Mohmand Dam Hydroelectric Project has increased from Rs 309.558 billion to Rs 665.743 billion, reflecting an increase of Rs 356.18 billion.
According to the ministry, the original estimated cost of the project had been approved under the PC-I when the contract was awarded. However, the revised PC-I, which includes an updated estimate of Rs 665,743 crore, is currently under consideration for approval by the Planning Ministry.
The ministry revealed that the estimated cost of the Dasu Hydropower Project has increased from Rs 486.093 billion, approved under the PC-I of 2014, to Rs 1,737 trillion, an increase of Rs 1,251 trillion.
He added that the second revised PC-I of the Dasu project was approved by the National Economic Council (CNE) in December 2025.
The documents also showed a significant increase in allocations for the development of local communities affected by the projects.
Under the Mohmand Dam project, Rs 160 million had originally been allocated for the upliftment of the local people. As per the revised PC-I, the amount has been increased to Rs 4,500 crore.
Similarly, for the Dasu dam project, the allocation for local community development has been increased from Rs 7 billion to Rs 57 billion in the revised PC-I, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
