Probe reveals design flaws in Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project

ISLAMABAD (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday directed the urgent formation of a committee to reactivate the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project after a pressure drop occurred in the right and left headrace tunnels.

The prime minister was chairing a meeting to review the progress of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project at the PM House. During the meeting, he was informed through a detailed briefing that on April 29, 2024, a pressure drop occurred in the right and left headrace tunnels of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, leading to a reduction in power generation. By May 2, 2024, power generation from the plant had completely stopped.

Former Federal Interior Secretary Shahid Khan, head of the investigation committee, presented a preliminary investigation report on the recent faults in the project. He informed the meeting that the closure of the project is causing a loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer. It was explained that the fault occurred in a rock burst zone.

The meeting was further informed that during the PTI regime in 2021, an abnormal pressure drop in the headrace tunnel led to a significant decrease in power generation, but this issue was ignored and not reported. “The matter was deliberately suppressed.”

No repair work was undertaken during the PTI regime in 2021 to address the failure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, resulting in continued losses. “It was a criminal negligence,” the meeting was told.

Also read: PM directs to constitute committee on Neelum-Jhelum project

Defects from the 2021 Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project are also being included in the current investigation report. Additionally, power generation was suspended in 2022 due to a fault in the project’s tailrace tunnel. Geophysical and seismic factors were ignored during the construction of the project, and adequate concrete lining of the headrace tunnel was not done.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued directives to immediately complete the investigation report on the recent closure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, identify those responsible for the defects, and take strict action against them. Experts pointed out design defects and the absence of concrete lining, lamenting the neglect of such a significant project. The prime minister questioned why a detailed geological survey had not been conducted and why third-party validation of the project was not performed, labeling these omissions as criminal negligence.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Information Minister Ata Ullah Tarar, Power Minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Jehanzeb Khan, Coordinator to the PM Rana Ehsaan Afzal, Chairman of WAPDA Lt. Gen (retd) Sajjad Ghani, former Interior Secretary Shahid Khan, and other high officials.