Tarbela Dam’s Gross Storage Has Dropped by Over 40%

The live and gross storage capacities of Tarbela reservoir have been reduced by 37.524% and 40.58% respectively due to silting.

According to the official documents submitted to the Parliament by the Ministry for Water Resources, water storage capacity of Tarbela Dam has reduced due to silting in the reservoir.

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As per results of Hydrographic Survey 2017 of Tarbela reservoir, since the dam started operating, the live and gross storage capacities of Tarbela reservoir have reduced by 37.524% and 40.58% respectively.

Wapda being the custodian of the Tarbela Dam Project have conducted sedimentation studies in the years 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007, 2013 and 2014 for evaluation of possibilities of de-silting Tarbela reservoir.

Suggestions from the Studies

Sediment flushing is uneconomical, technically risky, impacts on the existing infrastructure will be overwhelming resulting in increased variation in bed profile of downstream river system which will impact on barrage operations with increased sediment entering the canals.

Additionally, it will accompany the loss of electricity generation at Tarbela and Ghazi Barotha besides the loss of water storage for irrigation purpose. Hence the de-silting is neither technically feasible nor economically favorable.

However, the best possible arrangement will be to provide an upstream storage 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 of Diamer Basha Dam which will help to reduce the inflow of silt into Tarbela Dam.

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