China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been an apple of the eye of the people of Pakistan. After seven years of hard and tiring efforts from the authorities and the people of these two great nations, positive results have started to benefit both countries' economies.
The first phase of CPEC had actively focused on setting up energy and infrastructure projects all over Pakistan and has achieved significant progress and has attracted about $25 billion worth of direct investments to the country, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday.
As CPEC is on the verge of entering its second phase. K-P (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) has increased its efforts to include the long-pending irrigation scheme of The Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) lift-cum-gravity project.
The CRBC project aims to irrigate 300,000 acres of land, especially in the southern district Dear Ismail Khan. The grounds of DI Khan are useless, even after being fertile lands only due to the absence of water for irrigation.
According to DI Khan Agriculture University Expert Dr. Shoaib, the project can end poverty in at least 4 out of 5 districts. He said that the project can be a game-changer for the people of K-P because right now, there are families who own hundreds of acres of lands that are initially fertile land but due to the absence of a proper irrigation system, there is no farming done on it which leaves it barren for no use.
The K-P government has continuously proposed for the CRBC project to be included in the list of tasks for getting financial help for its cause. But the federal government has taken a cynical approach for the CRBC till now, mostly due to the $1 billion budget it requires for realization.
However, as Pakistan starts developing the second phase of CPEC, the K-P government extensively pushed for the project to be taken up in the 10th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC). After which, the federal government agreed to put the project in CPEC but after a review of its PC-1. Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) was put to revisiting and reviewing the project concept depending upon the demographics of the region.
On November 1, Wapda asked for both parties' proposals to review and carry out a new project study. Wapda GM Media Abid Rana confirmed the news and added that the requests could be submitted by December 1, 2020.
If all goes well, this project will benefit the economy of Pakistan and revolutionize the agricultural prospects of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
