SMEC has operated in the South Asia division since 1968. SMEC's first project in the South Asia was the 300MW Karnali Hydropower Project in Nepal. SMEC provided project planning and pre-feasibility studies. The Karnali Project was a mega multi-purpose storage project on the Karnali River at Chisapani including a 270m high dam, with reservoir area of 350km², a power station and a re-regulating weir downstream.
The first office in the division was opened in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1978. SMEC now has fourteen permanent offices in the division. There are eight offices in India, two offices in Pakistan and the remaining four offices are in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka.
SMEC has delivered projects in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka. SMEC’s major activities in the South Asia division are in the Transport, Water, Energy and Renewables and Social Development sectors.
SMEC’s projects in the South Asia division have included a water study for the Reko Diq Copper and Gold Mine in Pakistan, design and project management of the new chancery building for the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka and tender evaluation, detailed design, construction supervision and contract administration for the Bangladesh Rail Sector Improvement Project.