HARIPUR (The Thursday Times) — Water Resources Minister Mian Muhammad Mueen Wattoo on Saturday ordered faster repairs at the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project, six days after water broke into the site, as officials in Haripur warned people living along the Indus to move to safer places because releases from Tarbela Dam would rise above 150,000 cusecs.
Wattoo inspected the intake structure and other major parts of the project, according to a statement from his ministry. He was told that remedial work was under way to stabilise the affected area and to put short-, medium-, and long-term measures in place to prevent a repeat.
The project’s consultants, the contractor, and the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) teams told the minister that, at present, the integrity of the main dam and its critical structures is not under threat, the statement said. Wattoo noted the assessment, called for continued vigilance, and directed them to speed up the remedial work and prepare a contingency plan to keep any delay to the project to a minimum, without compromising safety or quality.
He was accompanied by Additional Secretary for Water Resources Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah, Indus River System Authority Chairman Shafqat Hussain Wadho, and WAPDA’s Member (Water), Asim Rauf Khan.
Warning downstream
In Haripur, Ghazi Assistant Commissioner Junaid Aftab said more water would be released from Tarbela during construction work on the project, with discharges going above 150,000 cusecs, which could push the Indus above its normal level.
Announcements were made asking communities along the banks to move to safer places and to avoid going near the river and the dam unless necessary, he said. The district administration has banned boating and swimming in the dam and told livestock owners to keep their animals away from the riverbanks.
What happened at Tarbela 5
Work on the project was suspended on November 9 after weak rock gave way during excavation of the connecting tunnel and water from the intake pit flowed into the tunnel and the area of the power house under construction. WAPDA said all workers were moved to safety.
WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Muhammad Saeed visited the site on November 9 and 10, ordered a departmental inquiry, and asked the consultants for a detailed report on the incident. The consultants, the contractor, and WAPDA said then too that the main dam was not under threat.
The incident cut into power supplies. Two days later, Tarbela was producing about 1,200 megawatts, some 800MW below normal, as the national electricity shortfall widened to about 1,500MW, according to the grid operator.
The 1,530MW project is being built on Tunnel 5 of Tarbela Dam with financing from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. It is the second time in 15 months that water has broken into the works, after a temporary dam at the site collapsed in August last year.
