Pakistan - First Stage Additional Financing to Dasu Hydropower Project for Construction of a Transmission Line : Inspection Panel Notice of Registration on a Request for Inspection

Overview & Synopsis

A Request for Inspection was submitted for Pakistan: Additional Financing to Dasu Hydropower Stage I Project for Construction of a Transmission Line for Pakistan, alleging harm from the planned 765 kilovolt transmission line and associated right-of-way restrictions. This report is a Notice of Registration issued after the Inspection Panel’s initial due diligence confirmed that the Request meets admissibility criteria, following a Notice of Receipt and prior to Management’s response and the Panel’s eligibility determination and recommendation on whether to investigate. The Request, filed by 14 individuals from Tanda and Katcha villages in Attock District, asserts potential economic displacement from tower siting and land-use restrictions, inadequate compensation relative to land value and livelihoods, insufficient assessment of alternatives and long-term socio-economic impacts, health and safety risks near populated areas, and lack of meaningful consultation and disclosure, including access to the Resettlement Action Plan. The Project, a high-risk component of the Dasu Hydropower Stage I operation, includes construction of a double-circuit 765 kilovolt line from Dasu to Islamabad and implementation of environmental and social management plans. Management informed the Panel that alternative routes were analyzed to minimize population and environmental impacts, consultations were conducted in 2016 and 2019 with broad participation, the right-of-way is treated as an easement allowing continued cultivation with compensation for tower footprints and replacement-level compensation for affected trees and structures, and an independent land valuation has been proposed amid divergent views on compensation adequacy; Management also cited application of international environmental health and electrical engineering standards, including those of the World Health Organization. The Panel has registered the Request as IPN Request 27/02, noting that registration is an administrative step implying no judgment on the merits; Management’s response is due within 21 business days, after which the Panel will assess eligibility and recommend to the Executive Directors whether an investigation should be undertaken.