Nai Gaj dam’s eye-watering cost escalation

The unending cost escalation — 405 per cent (from Rs16.92 billion to Rs85.57bn) as per the unapproved third revised project cost (PC-I), as well as the prolonged delay in the Nai Gaj dam project’s completion, perhaps merit prime ministerial-level intervention to fix responsibility for why a project of vital importance remains incomplete even after 13 years. Nai Gaj dam is primarily a rainwater harvesting project being built in the Kachho area, a hilly terrain of Dadu district. Another potential loss is socio-economic — fisheries, farm benefits, etc — were assessed at Rs3.5bn per annum in 2012 when it was launched. All these costs have since increased multiple times.