Mangla Dam : In the lens of history
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LAHORE (APP) Mangla Dam has filled to its maximum storage level of 1242 feet above mean sea level, said WAPDA spokesman here on Tuesday.
He said that Mangla Dam, the first-ever mega multi-purpose project in Pakistan, was completed in 1967 with storage capacity of 5.88 maf (million acre feet), which reduced to 4.6 maf due to sedimentation till 2004. Subsequently, Mangla Dam Raising Project was initiated in 2004 with a view to maximising hydro potential of River Jhelum and it was substantially completed in December 2009.
The dam was raised by 30 feet in December 2009 to increase water storage level of the reservoir upto 1242 feet above mean sea level. Thus, water storage capacity of the Mangla reservoir increased to 7.4 maf from 4.6 maf. As a result of the raised Mangla Dam, the additional 2.88 maf of water could irrigate another 1.314 million acres of land, and generate 644 million additional units of electricity per annum from the existing Mangla Hydel Power Station, he added.
The raised Mangla Dam has become the biggest water reservoir in the country surpassing Tarbela, which has a live storage capacity of 6.45 maf. Meanwhile, the position of the river inflows and outflows at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma along with the reservoirs levels and the barrages today is as under: Rivers:
Indus at Tarbela: Inflows 199400 cusecs and Outflows 164800 cusecs, Kabul at Nowshera: Inflows 31900 cusecs and Outflows 31900 cusecs, Jhelum at Mangla: Inflows 28300 cusecs and Outflows 13900 cusecs, Chenab at Marala: Inflows 77600 cusecs and Outflows 49000 cusecs.
Barrages: Jinnah: Inflows 211200 cusecs and Outflows 204700 cusecs, Chashma: Inflows 223800 cusecs and Outflows 190000 cusecs, Taunsa: Inflows 236600 cusecs and Outflows 220000 cusecs, Panjnad: Inflows 85300 cusecs and Outflows 70500 cusecs, Guddu: Inflows 310600 cusecs and Outflows 282300 cusecs, Sukkur: Inflows 273400 cusecs and Outflows 217200 cusecs, Kotri: Inflows 106000 cusecs and Outflows 76200 cusecs.
Reservoirs (Level and Storage):
Tarbela: Minimum operating level 1380 feet, present level 1538.15 feet, maximum conservation level 1550 feet, live storage today 5.654 million acre feet (MAF). Mangla: Minimum operating level 1040 feet, present level 1242 feet, maximum conservation level 1242 feet, live storage today 7.406 MAF. Chashma: Minimum operating level 637 feet, present level 648 feet, maximum conservation level 649 feet, live storage on Tuesday 0.240 MAF.
The inflows and outflows of River Indus at Tarbela and Chashma, River Kabul at Nowshera and River Jhelum at Mangla have been reflected as mean flows of 24 hours, whereas the other flows have been gauged at 6.00 a.m.
