ISLAMABAD – Tarbela Dam is dying it’s natural life and almost half of it’slife is over.
Tarbela Dam storage capacity has been reduced by 40.58 percent owing tosilting in the reservoir.
The Hydrographic Survey 2017 report has revealed.
Adviser to Prime Minister Dr Babar Awan has informed the Senate on Tuesday.
Responding to a question by Senator Samina Saeed, Awan said as per resultsof the Hydrographic Survey 2017 of Tarbela reservoir, the live and grossstorage capacities of Tarbela reservoir have been reduced by 37.524 percentand 40.58 percent respectively.
He said the best possible arrangements will be made to provide an upstreamstorage to catch the sediment before entering the Tarbela reservoir.
Inflow of sediment is a natural phenomenon and cannot be prevented.However, the Government of Pakistan has taken steps for construction ofDiamer Bhasha Dam which will help reduce the inflow of silt into TarbelaDam.
Quoting studies, he said, sediment flushing is uneconomical, technicallyrisky and the impact of it on the existing infrastructure will beoverwhelming and will impact on barrage operations with increased sedimententering the canals. Additionally, it will accompany the loss ofelectricity generation at Tarbela and Ghazi Barotha besides the loss ofwater storage for the irrigation purpose.
Babar Awan said the relevant departments would be directed to arrange adetailed briefing to Upper House of the Parliament on overall situation ofdams.
Total sediments deposited in Tarbela reservoir from 1974 to 2017 is 4.731Million Acre Feet (MAF), Minister for Water Resources Makhdoom KhusroBakhtiar told Senate Tuesday.
In a written reply to the question of Senator Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah, theminister said the contribution of silt form Siran River is 0.192 MAF whichis only about 4.05 percent of the total sediment deposited in Tarbelareservoir so far.
He said it is notable that only 20 percent of Tarbela watershed is underthe influence of monsoon.
He said technical investigation of various aspects of the sediment problemat Tarbela have been performed by TAMS Consultants of the project since1967.