Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi has urged the federal government to initiate physical work on the long-delayed Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) project and secure funding through the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) or donor financing. In a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, CM Afridi expressed concern that prolonged delays in execution have eroded trust between the federal government and the people of KP.
The CRBC project, envisioned under the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991, is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s first lift-cum-gravity irrigation scheme. While similar mega projects have been completed in Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, the CRBC has remained unexecuted for over three decades. The Chief Minister highlighted that in March 2016, the Council of Common Interest (CCI) approved a new PC-I for the project, with funding split between the federal and provincial governments at 65% and 35%, respectively, and placed operational responsibility with the province.
The chief minister said that construction of the CRBC Canal system would generate around Rs38 billion per year in the area.https://t.co/UV1HcSY2eh
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) November 25, 2025
The project received final PC-I approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in October 2022, and administrative approval followed in November 2022, with a total estimated cost of Rs189.606 billion, including Rs180 billion in foreign exchange. The canal, stretching 130.76 km and designed to carry 2,556 cusecs, will serve the Dera Ismail Khan plains and irrigate a cultivable command area of 323,077 hectares (798,000 acres). However, water allocation from the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) limits irrigation coverage to 286,140 acres.
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CM Afridi stressed the CRBC’s economic importance, noting that it could generate Rs38 billion annually, revitalize barren lands, create employment, and spur industrial and agricultural development along the CPEC Western Route. He also emphasized its role in enhancing national food security and reducing reliance on imports.
Pointing to ongoing delays, the Chief Minister noted that WAPDA has yet to finalise prequalification and procurement processes despite the KP government posting a land acquisition collector and releasing Rs2 billion in 2024-25, with additional allocations of Rs5 billion planned for 2025-26. He urged the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Water Resources to arrange the required funds and ensure immediate commencement of physical construction.
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