Dams In Pakistan
The entire nation of Pakistan one way or the other depends on the dams. The water stored in the dams is not only used for the agricultural purposes but also to provide electricity to a nation of nearly 16 million people.
Below are the dams built on different rivers in Pakistan:
Tarbela dam is built on the river Indus and is the world’s largest earth filled dam. This dam was built in 1976 at a cost of 18.5 billion and almost 15000 Pakistani and 800 foreign workers worked on its construction.
It has the capacity of generating 3,478 MW of electricity which makes it Pakistan’s largest Hydro power station. It has a reservoir which is 97 km long and has a depth of 137 meters. This dam is located 103 km from the city of Rawalpindi.
The Mangla dam is the world’s third largest earth filled dam and is built on the river Jhelum. The dam is located 115 km southeast of Rawalpindi and is 3,353 meters long and 116 meters high form the river bed.
This dam was built, just like the Tarbela dam, as a result of the Indus basin treaty of Pakistan and India in 1960.
The dam has an elevation crest of 1,234 feet and is designed to store 5.88 MAF of water that is used for generating power. A Gakkhar fort is built at the centre of the dam form a panoramic view of the lake can be viewed.
On the right side of the dam there are two spillways one of which has the capacity of 900,000 cusecs while the second is an emergency spillway.
Khanpur is constructed on the beautiful Haro River located 48 km from Islamabad.
The Khanpur dam is a multipurpose dam which not only provides electricity to KPK but also provides drinking and irrigation water to Islamabad, Rawalpindi and many other cities of Punjab.
The construction of the dam started in 1963 and was completely built in 1983 costing nearly Rs 1352 million. The dam is almost 167 feet high and has the capacity to store 106,000 acres of water. It nearly supplies 110 cusecs water for electricity and 87 cusecs for irrigation and drinking water.
The Warsak dam is a huge, gigantic dam built on the Kabul River and is situated 30 km northwest of Peshawar.
It is a multipurpose 250 feet high and 460 feet long having a reservoir of 4 square miles and a storage capacity of 25,300 acre of water.
It has a generating capacity of 240,000 KW and gives water for irrigation to 110,000 acres of land.
It provides electricity to KPK and some areas of Punjab
Different Types Of Dams
- Types Of Dams
A dam is a barrier built across a water course to hold back or control the water flow. Some dams divert the flow of river water into a pipeline, canal, or channel.
Misriot dam is a small dam built on an artificial lake located 12 km south west of Rawalpindi. Misriot dam has a small storage capacity and mostly provides water for irrigation nd drinking to small villages and towns around the lake.
Tanaza Dam just like the Misriot dam is a small dam with a small storing capacity.
It is built on a lake located 35 km south west of Rawalpindi on the Dhamial Road.
This dam too mostly stores water for irrigation purposes and to for drinking purposes. The atmosphere around the lake and the dam is quiet and peaceful, ideal for a day out on a picnic.
Famous Dams Of The World
- Famous Dams
A dam is said to be a barrier that confines water. Dams generally are used to retain water, while other structures such as dikes are used to manage or prevent water flow into a region.
Famous Dams in China
- Chinese Dams
Currently China is believed to have more than 80,000 dams- a fact that makes it the country with the greatest number of dams in the world.
Top 10 Famous Lakes Of The World
- Famous Lakes
There are many lakes in this world, but not all of them are famous. We all know about the Caspian Sea, which is indeed one of the most famous lakes in the world.
Simly dam is a small dam which stores water for drinking purposes. It is built on the Simly Lake which is located 30 km from the city of Islamabad.
The lake if fed by the melting snow of Murree there for the water of the lake is more pure than the other lakes.
Ghazi Barotha Hydro Power Project
Ghazi Barotha Hydro power project is constructed on the Indus River and is located downstream of the Tarbela Dam.
This gigantic project was completed in 2004 and provides the country with a power of 1450 MW of powers 24/7.
This is an environment friendly dam and was built with the intentions to meet the shortage of electricity supply in the country. This project has a generation capacity of nearly 1450 MW of energy.
There are three main components of this project: a barrage, a power channel and a power complex. The barrage which is located 7 km downstream of the Tarbela dam regulates the water stream from the
Tarbela into the power channel. The power channel of this project is the world’s largest concrete lined power channel. The length of the channel is 52 km and it has a water depth of 9m. The flow from the barrage to the channel is 56,500 cusecs.
Despite of having such an ample supply of water and well built dams, it is sad to see that the country like Pakistan with such a highly agricultural land to be this poor.
Famous Rivers Around The World
- Famous Rivers
Rivers are one of nature's blessing that are key to the survival and prosperity of Civilizations. Since ancient times, man has evolved besides riverbanks and turned barren lands into historic cultural heritages.