List of
Famous Dams in Pakistan
List of Famous Dams in Pakistan
Posted
on March 3, 2022
Pakistan is a country that is blessed with
scenic views, majestic deserts and an abundance of natural resources. Pakistan is an
agricultural country, depending heavily on water resources for irrigation.
Interestingly, Pakistan has around 150 dams spread across all the provinces.
These dams are not only a source of electricity and water supply but they also
act as perfect vacationing spots for
the locals.
In this concise yet informative article, we
will walk you through the famous dams in
Pakistan.
So let’s get started.
Famous Dams in
Pakistan
Names of dams in
Pakistan |
Location |
Impounds |
Height |
Year of
completion |
1. Tarbela Dam |
Haripur |
Indus River |
143.26 metres (470.0 ft) |
1974 |
2. Rawal Dam |
Islamabad Capital Territory |
Korang River |
40.7 m (133.5 ft) |
1962 |
Gilgit Baltistan |
Indus River |
272 m (892 ft) |
– |
|
4. Mangla Dam |
Mirpur District |
Jhelum River |
138 metres (453 ft) |
1967 |
5. Khanpur Dam |
Haripur |
Haro River |
51 metres (167 ft) |
1985 |
6. Hub Dam |
Malir |
Hub River |
48 metres (157 ft) |
1979 |
7. Mirani Dam |
Kech district Balochistan |
Dasht River |
127 ft 39 metres |
2006 |
8. Warsak Dam |
Peshawar |
Kabul River |
76.2 metres |
1960 |
Kajori kach south waziristan
agency KPK |
Gomal River |
437 ft |
2011 |
|
10. Satpara Dam |
Skardu |
Satpara Stream |
128 ft |
2011 |
Muzaffarabad |
Neelum Rive |
60 m (197 ft) |
2018 |
|
12. Sabakzai Dam |
Zhob |
Zhob River |
34.75 m (114.0 ft) |
2007 |
13. Darawat Dam |
Jhangri, Jamshoro |
Nai Baran River |
43 metres (141 ft) |
2014 |
14. Namal Dam |
Mianwali |
Namal Lake |
344 metres (1,129 feet) |
1913 |
15. Gulpur Dam |
Azad Jammu Kashmir |
Poonch River |
35 m (115 ft) |
2020 |
1. Tarbela Dam
Did you know that Tarbela Dam is the largest earth-filled dam in the world?
It is located near the city of Swabi and 105 km northwest of Islamabad. This humongous dam was constructed on the River Indus. The primary purpose of the dam was
to store water for irrigation and the generation of electricity.
The construction of the dam started in 1968
and ended in 1976. The dam was built 143 meters above the river belt, with a
storage capacity of 11.1 MAF. The maximum elevation level of the dam is 1550
feet.
Speaking of electricity generation, the dam has 17 water turbines solely dedicated to the
production of hydroelectric power. With the power generation capacity of 4888
Megawatts, the Tarbela dam produces around 70% of hydroelectric power.
2. Rawal Dam
Rawal Dam, one of the most famous dams in Pakistan is located in
Islamabad. The dam was built to provide water supply to
the twin cities of Pakistan. The construction
of the dam started in 1962.
The dam has a water capacity of around 42,000 acre-feet.
Apart from being a water storage facility,
Rawal Dam is also one of the most famous tourist spots in Islamabad. People come here for recreational activities
such as horseback riding, boating, fishing, and vice versa. It is also a
perfect family picnic spot. For more picnic spots, visit famous hill stations in Pakistan,
if you get awed by the beauty of hill stations.
3. Diamer Bhasha
Dam
Most of the major part of this dam is located
in the Kohistan District, KPK, and a small portion is located in the Diamer,
Gilgit Baltistan.
Currently, the dam is under construction and
after its completion, it is anticipated to be the world’s highest dam. The dam
is being constructed on the River Indus. With its 12 turbines, the dam will have the
ability to produce 4800 Megawatts of electricity. Moreover, with an area of 110
square kilometers, it has a water storage capacity of around 8 MAF. For
instance, in the past, we used to struggle a lot just to check our electricity
bills. All thanks to science, now it is very easy to check electricity bills online and also pay your gas bills online.
The plan for establishing the Diamer Bhasha Dam was presented by Gen.
Pervez Musharraf,
former president of Pakistan.
Despite the inauguration of the dam, the
construction has stopped many times due to a lack of funds. This 4500 MW power
generating dam project was estimated at $12 billion at the start, but according
to various experts, the total cost of the dam could range from $ 18 to $ 20
billion.
Recently, the construction of the Diamer Bhasha dam has started again and it will take
around 9 years to complete the construction. The maximum height of the proposed
dam will be 270 meters, and it will have a storage capacity of about 74 million
acre-feet. The dam project will cover 110 square kilometers.
According to experts, this dam can bring
economic development to Pakistan. It will also increase the lifespan of the
Tarbela Dam by 35 years.
4. Mangla Dam
Mangla Dam is one of the cx. Mangla Dam is not only a water reservoir
but an important player of the international treaty between Pakistan and India, the Indus Waters Basement Treaty.
The dam was constructed on the River Jhelum
and got its name from the nearby village called ‘Mangla’.
It was constructed in 1965 and at the time of
construction, Mangla Dam was considered to be the fifth-largest dam of the
world. Currently, it is the 12th largest dam in the world. With a length of
3140 meters and a height of 147 meters, the Mangla reservoir can store 7.39
million acre-feet (M.A.F) water.
The primary purpose of Mangla Dam is
irrigation and power generation for the nearby areas. With its 10 turbines, the
dam can produce 1310 Megawatts of electricity.
5. Khanpur Dam
Khanpur Dam, a multipurpose water storage facility is located in Tehsil
Khanpur, District Haripur of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is
built on the Haro River. The primary purpose of the dam was to supply drinking
water to the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. In addition to that, Khanpur dam
also provides irrigation water to Islamabad, Haripur, Attock, and Rawalpindi.
The construction of the dam started in 1967
and it took 15 years for the completion of the dam. It is estimated that Rs.
1,385.10 million were spent on the construction of Khanpur Dam. According to
the WAPDA, Khanpur Dam is 167 feet and it has a water storage capacity of
79,980 acre-feet.
Khanpur is one of the most favorite picnic
spots of the locals. People love visiting the dam, especially during the summer
season. The place is well known for its tourist attractions such as cliff
jumping, jet ski, kayaking, and camping. Also, there is a water resort here as
well where people can stay.
6. Hub Dam
This small dam is located in the Karachi
district of Sindh and Lasbela district of Balochistan. The dam is constructed
on the Hub River. The construction of the dam started in 1963 and ended in
1981.
Hub dam covers an area of 24300 acres on the
border of the Sindh Balochistan provinces. The water storage of the dam is
857,000 acre-feet.
7. Mirani Dam
Mirani Dam is located at the Dasht River south
of the Central Makran Range in the Kech District in the Balochistan province of
Pakistan. It was constructed in 2006. It is a 302,000-acre-foot (373,000,000
m3) water body getting its water from the Kech River and the Nihing River.
Mirani Dam was commissioned by Pakistan’s
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in 2001 to provide water for
Gwadar city. The project was done on an EPC basis by Descon Engineering
Limited.
The primary purpose of the dam was the
cultivation of crops and agriculture. Kech Valley consists of cultivable soil
upon which agriculture activity could be carried out if a constant water supply
is ensured. The dam serves as a water storage facility for the summer season
and during floods.
Another purpose of Mirani Dam is to ensure a
constant supply of clean drinking water to the towns of Turbat and Gwadar
throughout the year.
Some of the features of the dam are:
- Gross Storage: 302,000 acre-ft
(373,000,000 m3).
- Live Storage: 52,000 acre-ft
(64,000,000 m3).
- Average Annual Releases:
114,000 acre-ft (141,000,000 m3).
- Type: Concrete-faced
rock-filled
- Height: 127 ft. (39 m)
- Length at Crest: 3,350 ft.
(1,020 m)
- Top Width: 35 ft. (11 m)
- Clear Waterway: 344 ft. (105 m)
- Designed Capacity: 205,800 cu
ft./s (5,830 m3/s)
- Maximum Capacity: 384,300 cu
ft./s (10,880 m3/s)
- Tunnel Diameter: 8 ft. (2.4 m)
- Capacity: 377 cu ft./s (10.7
m3/s)
- Irrigation System Command Area
& Capacity:
- Right Bank Canal: 20,800 acres
(84 km2) & 36 cu ft./s (1.0 m3/s)
- Left Bank Canal: 12,400 acres
(50 km2) & 141 cu ft./s (4.0 m3/s)
- Total: 33,200 acres (134 km2)
& 377 cu ft./s (10.7 m3/s)
8. Warsak Dam
Warsak Dam is another huge concrete dam
located at the Kabul River in the valley of Peshawar. The dam is a joint
collaboration between Pakistan and Canada. Warsak Dam was completed under the
Colombo Plan in two phases and financed by the Canadian Government.
The total installed capacity of the Warsak Dam
Hydropower Project is 243 MW.
In June 2012, the Pakistan WAPDA (Water and
Power Development Authority) decided to add a 375 MW powerhouse to Warsak,
which will raise Warsak’s total power generation capacity to 525 MW.
Currently, the government is rehabilitating
the dam to meet the exceeding demands of the people. Germany will loan 40
million euros to Pakistan for the rehabilitation of the Warsak hydroelectric
power station built over half a century ago on Kabul River in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
9. Gomal Zam Dam
Gomal dam, another dam in Pakistan with
immense strategic importance is located in the South Waziristan Agency of
Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan. The dam became functional in
2011. The dam gets its water from the Gomal River, a tributary of the Indus
River. The major purposes of the dam include irrigation, flood control, and
hydroelectric power generation.
Gomal Dam is a roller-compacted concrete (RCC)
gravity dam with a height of 437 feet (133 m). It has a gross storage capacity
of 1,140,000 acre-feet (1.41 km3) and the 60.5 km long main canal will irrigate
about 163,000 acres (660 km2) barren land of Tank district and Tehsil Kulachi
of Dera Ismail Khan. It produces 17.4 MW of electricity.
10. Satpara Dam
Amongst the medium-sized dams in Pakistan,
Satpara Dam tops our list. It is a state of the art dam, concrete-filled dam
located at the Satpara Lake on the Satpara Stream approximately 4 km from the
town of Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
The dam is a major source of electricity
generation for the adjacent areas. It generates 17.36 MW of hydroelectricity,
supplies power to approximately 30,000 households in the Skardu Valley,
irrigates 15,536 acres (62.87 km2) of land, and supplies 3.1 million gallons
per day of drinking water to Skardu city.
The construction of the dam started in 2003
and was completed in 2011. Some of the major features of the dam include:
Dam
- Type: Earth-filled
- Length: 560 ft.
- Height: 128 ft.
- Width (at top): 80 ft.
Spillway
- Spillway length: 1,075 ft.
- Spillway width: 50 ft.
- Spillway capacity: 5000 ft. 3/s
- Reservoir capacity (gross):
0.0932 MAF (93,385 AF)
- Reservoir capacity (live):
0.0521 MAF (51,484 AF)
- Power generation capacity:
17.366 MW
- Irrigation system: LBC 51933
ft., RBC 58000 ft.
Canal Length
- Left Bank Canal: 59,000 Ft.
- Right Bank Canal: 30,000 Ft.
Command Area
- Total: 10,131 acres (41.00 km2)
- Left Bank Canal: 8,119 acres
(32.86 km2)
- Right Bank Canal: 2,012 acres
(8.14 km2)
Construction
- Contractor: hi-tech lubricants
Ltd.
- Man-hours: 2.4 million
- Peak manpower: 450
11. Neelum
Jhelum Dam
The Neelum-Jhelum Dam is a hydroelectric power
project that is stationed in Azad Kashmir. As the name indicates, it designates
water from the Neelum River towards the Jhelum River. This dam is a source of
producing up to 1040MW in the past years and is running since the year 2018.
The Neelum-Jhelum Dam has proven itself to be a historic landmark that is
helping thousands of people through its hydroelectric power generation. Because
the dam is fairly still new as compared to other dams in Pakistan, there are
relatively few people who are aware of it and have toured the place.
12. Sabakzai Dam
The Sabakzai Dam is situated on the Zhob River
in Balochistan. It directs the flow of the Zhob River, in the southwest region
of Balochistan. The construction of the dam took a total of 3 years, i.e. from
2004-2007. The project was inaugurated by Gen. Pervez Musharaf in 2007 and has
been operational ever since. It aids in the irrigation of local land, but a
proper irrigation channel through the dam is still under work. The Sabakzai Dam
has played an important role in keeping the water flow of the river intact,
alongside being a popular spot for local tourists from the province.
13. Darawat Dam
Darawat dam is a lesser-known dam situated in
Jamshoro District of Sindh Province. It is situated on the Nai Bran River and
was constructed in 4 years. The dam was inaugurated by Asif Ali Zardari in the
year 2013. The dam holds the capacity to store 150 million cubic metres of
water.
This dam mainly aids in the irrigation of
local crops, alongside being a tourist spot for local citizens who come from
Hyderabad and Karachi for a picnic.
14. Namal Dam
Namal (Gravity) Dam is situated at the edge of
Namal Valley in Mianwali, Punjab. It was constructed by British engineers in
1913, which accounts for its old age, but is a working dam. The region is
surrounded by agricultural plains and provides irrigation to the land. It has
become a hub for migratory birds, which is an attraction for
birdwatchers.
15. Gulpur Dam
The Gulpur Hydroelectric project is situated
on the Poonch river near Gulpur, which is a wide sidestream that flows from the
Jhelum River. The site of the Dam itself is 235 km far from Lahore city, and
just 167 km distant from Islamabad. This dam is designed to generate 100 MW of
electricity and is planned on a least-cost basis. A Korean company subsidiary,
KOSEP, MIRA Power Ltd signed a contract with Wapda for the construction of this
project. This dam has been operational since February 2020 and is fairly new.
If you are interested in investing there are
many construction companies developing real estate projects in which you can invest
in or there is a list of business ideas by
which you can start your own business. You may explore haunted places in Islamabad.
Interestingly, Hub Dam is also a tourist
resort. Tourists and the general public visit the dam on weekend holidays. The
place is famous for its beautiful picnic spots, Place to eat, swimming spots,
and fishing. A rest house of WAPDA is also located there for tourists to stay.