Chairman of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd), visited the Diamer Basha Dam Project after a tragic incident that occurred on 7 April claimed the lives of three workers and injured 10 others.

During his visit on 8 April, the Chairman inspected the site of the incident and interacted with workers, as well as representatives from the contractors and the consultants. He expressed his grief over the loss of lives and emphasised the need for contractors and consultants to review current safety guidelines and implement an effective safety mechanism at all construction sites to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

The Chairman also handed over compensation cheques to the workers who sustained minor injuries in the incident. WAPDA had previously announced compensation of Rs. 500,000 each for the families of deceased, Rs. 500,000 each for the workers severely injured, and Rs. 200,000 each for the workers with minor injuries. This compensation is in addition to the compensation that the affected individuals will receive from the contractor as per the rules.

The Diamer Basha Dam Project is being constructed on River Indus, 40km downstream of Chilas town. Construction work is underway simultaneously on more than a dozen sites.