According to Deputy Commissioner Kohistan Arif Khan Yousafzai, after being halted for months due to “security reasons,” work on the Dasu Dam project will begin on October 25 (today).
According to a statement released by China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC), a phased return of work will begin on October 25, with local staff being called in stages.
Employees would be advised of the resumption of work through telephone, the corporation added, while ordering native workers to be ready to report back to work.
Following the announcement, Chinese engineers and foreigners involved in the project paid a visit to the dam site in Dasu. Employees of the Chinese firm have been asked to present their Covid-19 test results as well as vaccination documents.
Following the Dasu incident on July 14, the civil administration, Wapda, and CGGC decided, after mutual consultation, to put the project on hold for the time being until construction could resume in a more secure environment.
What happened in Dasu?
After an explosion, a coach bringing Chinese nationals and locals to an under-construction tunnel site of the 4,300MW Dasu hydropower project collapsed into a ravine in the Upper Kohistan area, killing nine Chinese nationals and injuring 28 others.
Soon after the event, a team of Chinese investigators came to Pakistan and interviewed several project workers and other staff members.
After a site inspection by a visiting Chinese inquiry team, the Chinese firm indicated that it would continue working on the project a few days later.
