Amid the threat that the next wars would be fought over water, the importance of water is increasing with every coming day. It is the lifeline object as many have lived without love, not one without water. The water availability in Pakistan has fallen drastically over the years with statistics pointing towards a sharp fall from 5,000 cubic metres per capita in the 1950s to less than 1,000 cubic metres per capita at the moment. It is to be pointed out that the international benchmark of being water scarce stands at 1,000 cubic metres per capita. This unhealthy situation has emerged owing to a perpetual neglect of the water issue by the previous regimes in our country. This scenario calls for construction of dams and water reservoirs on war footings. It is rightly said that if there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. Water is in fact, the driving force of all nature.
As the world in general and Pakistan in particular are facing the paucity of this priceless and life-saving commodity, NESPAK is fully alive to the problem and continues to make contribution to improve the situation by rendering state-of-the-art engineering consultancy services for many mega projects, nationwide as well as overseas, ever since its institution in 1973.
NESPAK made its debut in the field of water resources and dam engineering with the design and construction supervision of the Left Bank Irrigation Tunnel of Tarbela Dam & Hydropower Project back in 1973 and later on kept providing engineering services for the extension works as well as periodic inspections. So far, NESPAK has provided remarkable services for more than 545 water resources projects worth Rs 2,320 billion within Pakistan and abroad. By virtue of having more than 45 years of valuable experience, NESPAK is fully capable of providing comprehensive services in all fields related to the water resources development and dam engineering.
The services for water resources development and dam engineering are being provided by NESPAK both within and outside Pakistan by a highly qualified and well experienced team of about 600 staff, including water resources planners & engineers, hydrologists, dam engineers, geotechnical engineers, agricultural specialists, geologists, irrigation & drainage experts, hydrogeologists, hydraulic engineers, soil & water quality scientists, flood management specialists, GIS experts, environmentalists, institutional development experts, water resources management specialists, sociologists, economists, construction specialists and contract managers.
NESPAK enjoys the unique distinction of being the only engineering consultancy organization in Pakistan to have successfully undertaken the largest number of dam and hydropower projects in Pakistan and 12 other countries in the Middle East and Africa. It has so far, rendered specialized services on a total of 207 dam and hydropower projects; of which 171 projects have been executed in Pakistan and 36 in other countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Jordan, Oman, Somalia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Nepal, Yemen and UAE. Some of the major dam and water resources projects include Tarbela Dam Project, Mangla Dam Raising Project, 969 MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric Project, 1450 MW Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project, Akra Kaur Dam, Small Irrigation Schemes in Balochistan, Wadi Dayqah Dam Oman, Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Investment Programme, Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project, Kachhi Canal Project, Punjab Irrigation System Improvement Project, Rehabilitating Lower Chenab Canal System etc. Another hallmark of NESPAK is that it has been assisting government of Pakistan to resolve critical water disputes with India in the domain of Indus Basin Treaty.
The greatest edge NESPAK has over other national and international consultancy firms of its kind is that it has solutions available for all needs of clients under one roof. By virtue of having more than 45 years of valuable experience in water resources development, NESPAK is now capable of offering services in all fields related to the water sector. Over the years, NESPAK has acquired the capability and mettle to lead joint ventures of national and international firms to deal with any mega project related to the dam end water resource engineering sector in the country and abroad.
NESPAK is fully capable to provide complete spectrum of consultancy services for projects related to harnessing and use of water for agriculture, hydropower generation and environment. The services include all levels from conceiving a project to its completion, including master planning, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, project planning, physical and simulation model studies, software development and applications, GIS, remote sensing, detailed designs, specifications and tender documents, construction supervision and contract management, preparation of operation & maintenance manuals, performance and benefit monitoring and periodic inspections. Institutional reforms, capacity building and participation of beneficiaries in development as well as environmental management and social development also fall within the purview of NESPAK’s wide range of services in this sector.
As of today, NESPAK is a leading partner in the development of the country in a sense that whenever quality engineering, diversity, experience and capability for completing mega projects related to water resources development and dam engineering sector are considered, NESPAK comes as the ultimate choice for such a difficult challenge. Hopefully, the successful journey will continue and NESPAK will keep serving the nation with its technical expertise and keep the national flag high in other parts of the world, with its share for resolving the water issues.
“Anyone who can solve the problems of water, will be worthy of two Nobel prizes – one for peace and one for science.”John F. Kennedy
DR TAHIR MASOOD
The writer is managing director of NESPAK.