News
Monday, August 19, 2013
Mangla surpasses Tarbela as largest water reservoirStaff Report
LAHORE: WAPDA Chairman Syed Raghib Abbas Shah said that Mangla Dam Raising Project had been playing a pivotal role in mitigating floods.
During a visit to the Mangla Dam Raising Project on Sunday, he said that the project had also increased the water storage capacity of the dam.
He said that the raised level helped save a 1.5 million acre feet (MAF) of excessive water from Jehlum River and its tributaries, which saved the lowing lying areas around Jehlum River from flooding. He said that the dam still had an additional 1.5 MAF storage capacity.
He further said that the completion of the project represents a watershed in the expansion of water conservation capacity in the country. He went on to say that water was a precious resource, which was a lifeline for the country’s agriculture.
Hence, WAPDA, he said, had been making all-out efforts under the guidance and direction of the federal government to increase the water conservation of existing reservoirs to meet the needs of irrigation and hydropower production. He went on to say that the completion of Mangla Dam Raising Project is the manifestation of the joint efforts being made by the federal government, the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and WAPDA.
He said that Mangla Dam had become the largest water storage facility in the country after its height had been raised by 30 feet.
He also said that the water storage capacity of Mangla Dam after completion of the raising project increased from 4.5 MAF to 7.39 MAF and thus it would store 2.88 MAF of additional water.
He said that the filling of the dam was recorded at 1,225 feet out of total 1,242 feet.
He further said that the reservoir had stored 6 MAF of water by now and given the weather forecast, it was likely to be filled up to its maximum level by mid-September. He said that the project would add 644 million units of low-cost electricity annually from the existing powerhouse.
The WAPDA chairman appreciated the teamwork displayed by the project office, Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, consultants, contractors and the local media.
Later in the day, the WAPDA chairman also visited medical camps set up by WAPDA for the flood victims of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Divisional Commissioner and Commissioner for Mangla Dam Affairs Amjad Pervez, Mirpur DIG Tahir Qureshi, District Health Officer Dr Bashir, and senior officials of WAPDA including General Manager and Project Director Ghulam Sarwar Memon and MDRP, Chief Engineer Muhammad Saleem, accompanied the chairman during his visit.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk