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List of Famous Dams in Pakistan

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Muhammad Shameel
List of Famous Dams in Pakistan

Source: https://alhayyatgroup.com/blog/dams-in-pakistan/

There are 150 total dams in Pakistan. These Dams are a source of providing water and electricity and beautiful and attractive picnic spots for the local people. The main purpose of dam construction is to control floods, storage of water, generation of hydropower electricity, and benefit the local peoples. These dams are mostly built on streams and rivers. Most of the Dams in Pakistan are located in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Most of the Dams were built between 1960 to 1975. Because of the fast construction of dams in Pakistan, we also hold the title of the largest earth-filled dam in the world named Tarbela Dam. In this article, we are going to provide you the basic general knowledge about dams in Pakistan. Below we have mentioned a list of Famous dams in Pakistan.

1. Tarbela Dam

Tarbela Dam construction was started in 1968 and the project was completed in 1976. Tarbela Dam is one of the largest Dam in Pakistan. It also holds the title of the earth-filled largest dam in the World. This amazing dam is constructed on the Indus river with 143.26 meters in height and 2,743.2 meters in length. The storage capacity of the dam is about 13.69 cubic km. The major purpose of building this dam was hydropower electricity generation and irrigation. Tarbela Dam has a capacity of 4888 Megawatts, for power generation. This is the first dam in Pakistan that produces almost 70% of hydroelectric power. Tarbela Dam is one of the biggest hydroelectric dams in Pakistan. Tarbela Dam is just a 2-hour drive from Islamabad the capital of Pakistan. Tarbela Dam is one of the most popular Dam on the Pakistan map that is considered to be the best picnic spot for locals. It also takes a part in swimming, boating activities, and fishing.

Tarbela Dam

2. Mangla Dam

Mangla Dam is the second largest dam in Pakistan. It is located in the Mirpur District of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The construction of Mangla Dam was started in 1961 and completed in 1967. It is not just a resource for electricity generation. It also plays a massive role in the international agreement between Pakistan and India, known as the Indus Waters Basement Treaty. The Dam is built on the Jhelum River with a height of 147 meters and a length of 3140 meters. It has a water storage capacity of 7.39 million acre-feet (M.A.F). This Dam was constructed for water storage later on it was modified for the generation of hydropower electricity. It has a capacity of 1,150 megawatts, for power generation. Mangla Dam became a creation of Mangla Lake which had a 2-hour continuous drive from Islamabad and a 4-hour drive from Lahore. Mangla Dam is one of the most visited picnic destinations for the locals. It also takes part in different activities like swimming, fishing, boating, rafting, and jet skiing. Mangla Dam is listed in between one of the biggest hydroelectric dams in Pakistan.

Mangla Dam

3. Rawal Dam

Rawal Dam was constructed in 1962 and located in Village Malpur, Margalla Hills National Park, and considered in best places to visit in Islamabad. Rawal Dam gets the water from the Korang River. It has a height of 40.7 m (133.5 ft) with a water storage capacity of 47,508 acre-ft. Rawal Dam resulted in the creation of Rawal Lake. Rawal Lake is one of the most famous picnic places in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Rawal Dam supplies the water to the twin cities of Pakistan known as Rawalpindi and Islamabad. That’s why Rawal Lake gives a stunning look along with Margalla Hills. The highest point of the lake gives a scenic view of Rawal Dam, Margalla Hills, and twin cities. Rawal Dam is one of the best Dams on the Pakistan map to visit.

Rawal Dam

4. Mirani Dam

Mirani Dam is located in the Dasht River at the south of Central Makran Range in Balochistan. Mirani Dam started to begin in 2002 and was completed in July 2006. The Dam was commissioned to provide water to Gawadar and Turbat City. It is 127 ft in height and 3,080 ft in length. It has the capacity for 302,000 acre-feet of water storage. Mirani Dam is one of the largest dams in Balochistan. Do you know how many dams in Balochistan? There are almost 29 Dams in Balochistan but Mirani Dam is one of the most famous dams in Balochistan. The dam stores the water facility in floods or the summer season. The total cost of the Mirani Dam was  5,267.90 million. It is considered to be one of the largest dams in Pakistan in terms of floodwater storage.

Mirani Dam

5. Diamer Bhasha Dam

Diamer Bhasha Dam is one of the new dams in Pakistan. It is located in Gilgit Baltistan. The Dam is in the early stages of construction. It is said the construction of the Diamer Bhasha Dam can be completed in 2028. It is built on the river Indus in between KP and Diamer district in Gilgit Baltistan. After completion of the Diamer Bhasha Dam, it will become the world’s largest Roller-compacted concrete Dam. The name ‘Bhasha’ is taken from a location Bhasha at Diamer district in Gilgit. It has a height of 272 m (892 ft) with a storage capacity of 8,107,132 acre-ft. The total cost of the dam estimated at the start was $12 billion but later on, the experts say it can range from $18 billion to $20 billion. The Dam will be able to produce hydroelectricity of 4500 MW with the help of its 12 turbines. The project of Diamer Bhasha Dam was presented by the former president of Pakistan Gen. Pervez Musharraf. The construction of this dam stopped many times in the past, the reason behind was the lack of funds. After completion of the Diamer Bhasha Dam, it will bring huge economic development to Pakistan.

Diamer Bhasha Dam

6. Warsak Dam

The construction of Warsak Dam was started in 1949 and completed in 1960 under the Colombo plan by the Canadian Government. The total installed capacity of the dam was 243 MW. In 2012 WAPDA added 375 MW and increased the capacity to 525 megawatts to meet the exceeding demands of the people. It’s a concrete dam situated at the valley of Peshawar, Kabul River. It has a total height of 76.2 m (250 ft) and length is about 140.2 m (460 ft). This dam is a result of the collaboration of the Canadian and Pakistan Governments. It has a total storage capacity of 25300 acre-feet. It’s just 20 kilometers from Peshawar, the capital of KP province of Pakistan. Locals of the city and nearby locations visit this dam for boating and fishing excursions because it counts in the places to visit in peshawar.

7. Khanpur Dam

Khanpur Dam is located in the Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It was built in 1983 on the Haro river to curb the flow of the river. This dam formed Khanpur lake that supplies drinking water to Islamabad the capital of Pakistan and Rawalpindi. Khanpur lake attracts the tourists and locals of the city with its stunning blue-green water shores. The thing that makes it one of the most famous dams in Pakistan is the supply of water to Attock, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Haripur to offer irrigation water. This dam construction cost is Rs. 1,385.10 million and it was completed in 15 years. Khanpur is a rockfill dam with a total height of 51 m (167 ft). People used to visit this dam to perform such activities as boating, zip-lining, camping, hiking, swimming, cliff jumping, jet skiing, and kayaking.

8. Namal Dam

Namal Dam is located at Rikhi, a village situated in a corner of Namal valley, 32 km from Mianwali, Punjab province of Pakistan. It was constructed in 1913 by the British Government with Namal lake owning a surface area of 5.5 km². By looking at the western and southern sides of the dam you can see the view of stunning mountains. The north and east sides consist of agricultural areas of the city. The main purpose of dam creation was to provide water irrigation to the local farmlands. For over a century this one of the famous dams in Pakistan has served tons of water to the farmers in the area. But over time now, it has taken a place as the best picnic spot in the city. Usually, locals and tourists visit this dam to perform boating, hiking, and bird-watching activities.

9. Gomal Zam Dam

Gomal Zam Dam is located in the South Waziristan Tribal District of KP province of Pakistan. It’s one of the most strategic dams in Pakistan map that impounds the Gomal River, a tributary of the Indus River, at Khajuri Kach. The reason for this dam creation was irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, and food. The construction was started in 2001 and completed in 2011. Gomal zam is one of the best hydroelectric dams in Pakistan with a storage capacity of 1,140,000 acre-feet (1.41 km3). Gomal dam is chosen for one of the most famous six tourist spots with 2 x 8.7 turbines, 437 ft (133 m) height, and 758 ft (231 m) length. It’s a roller-compacted concrete gravity dam with a 0.5 km long main canal. Locals of the nearby areas visit the dam for fishing and family picnics. When it comes to the hydroelectric dams in Pakistan Gomal zam dam stands alone for producing 17.4 MW of electricity.

10. Hub Dam

Hub Dam is located between the border of Sindh and Balochistan and 56 km from Karachi. It’s built on Hub River, which is a big source of supplying drinking water in Karachi. The construction of the hub dam was started in 1963, it took almost 20 years to be completed. In 1981 the dam construction was completed and the govt opened it for the public. With a storage capacity of 857000 acre-ft (0.847742 km3) the dam was built for water irrigation. It was the first dam constructed at the cost of ₨ 1191.806 million. It’s also Pakistan’s third-largest dam with a total area of 24300 acres. This dam was declared as a wildlife sanctuary by the Sindh government in 1974. A lot of ducks, pelicans, waders, cranes and other seasonal birds have been seen by the locals in their natural habitat. It’s famous to be the most visited picnic spot for the people of Karachi for swimming, fishing, and overnight camping activities.

Conclusion:

So these were the top 10 list of dams in Pakistan that are a big source of providing water irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, and food. As well as playing a massive role in promoting tourism in Pakistan. As above we have given you general knowledge about dams, that there are 150 total dams in Pakistan. Dams are important for the storage of water and generation of electricity as experts claim after 2025 there will be a big shortage of water worldwide. Pakistan is an agricultural country and we need water to survive in this tough era. We hope that this article will be informative for you. You can also read our blog about the top construction companies in Pakistan that are building these dams, shopping malls, and universities to promote Pakistan as an industrial country.

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