President Pervez Musharaf Inaugrates the First Ever Desalination and Power Generation Plant in Pakistan

DHA Water Desalination and Power Generation Plant and Ground breaking of Phase-II of Cogen Project in an impressive and spectacular ceremony held at the project site on 11 Feb’ 2008. It was a historic moment, which marked the completion of a long and memorable journey. The occasion signified accomplishment of years of labour, hard work and perseverance that went into making the dream of establishment of the first desalination plant of the country possible.

Speaking on the occasion President Pervez Musharraf asked the Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority, Pakistan Steel Mills and the City and Sindh governments to set up desalination and power generation plants all over the city.

Terming the inauguration of the project as an important event, the president asked other organizations to emulate the example and instal plants for generating electricity and providing clean drinking water.

He said this was also a good example of public-private sector co-operation in solving the problems of water and power. President Musharraf said the government had focused on these two areas over the past six to seven years.

He pointed out that Pakistan had a surplus of 4,000 MW electricity in the year 2001 and was also surplus in gas. With an average growth rate electricity requirement of the country was considered at that time to be adequate for up to year 2010.

He said that in the year 2001 when he had met the Iranian President Khatemi in Tehran, and the latter proposed the laying of gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan and his reply as that unless India joined that project Pakistan did not require that gas.