Neelum-Jhelum project ‘a failure of planning, execution’

The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has declared the Rs507 billion Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project a failure in terms of objectives, planning and execution, saying it neither secured Pakistan’s water rights nor delivered the designed energy output, as its multiple tunnel faults and collapses have raised serious questions about the quality of work on a project of national importance. In its performance audit report for 2022-23, submitted to the president and parliament, the AGP noted that the findings did not even include the major collapse of the headrace tunnel last year, which has kept the project shut. The report was finalised based on responses from Wapda’s management to audit objections. According to the report, the project faced considerable delays despite the provision of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) meant to speed up excavation, mainly due to design changes.