DAMS
DUNGI DAM
Dohngi Dam
(Dungi Dam) is a dam, located 2 kilometers northwest of Gujar Khan in
Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
GHAZI BAROTHA DAM
Ghazi Barotha Dam is located on Indus River in
Pakistan. Ghazi Barotha Hydroelectric project is located around 100 km from
Islamabad. It involved the construction of a partial river diversion at Ghazi
Barotha, 7 km downstream from the Tarbela Dam. The barrage diverts water into a
52 km concrete-lined channel and delivers it to the 1,450MW powerhouse at
Barotha. This is further downstream, near the confluence of the Indus and Haro
rivers. In this reach the Indus River drops by 76 m within a distance of 63 km.
After passing through the powerhouse, diverted water is returned to the Indus.
In addition to these main works, transmission lines stretch 340 km.
GOMAL DAM
Gomal Dam is located on Gomal river in South
Waziristan, NWFP, Pakistan.
GOMAL ZAM DAM PROJECT
Gomal Zam
Dam Project is located in Damaan area of NWFP, Pakistan. Gomal River, on which
a 437 feet high Gomal Zam Dam will be built, is one of the significant
tributaries of Indus River. It is planned to irrigate about 163,000 acres of
land. The total projects costs amounts to Rs. 12 billion. It will be a Roller
compacted concrete dam, having a gross storage of 1.14 MAF. It will produce
17.4 MW of electricity when completed. Approximately Rs. 4.388 billion
contracts for the construction of Gomal Zam Dam Project was awarded to Messers
CWHEC - HPE, a joint venture of two Chinese firms in August 2002.
GUDDU BARRAGEGuddu
Barrage is a
barrage across river Indus, near Sukkur in Pakistan. President Sikander Mirza
laid foundation-stone of the Guddu Barrage on February 2, 1957. The barrage was
completed in 1962
At the time
of its construction it has maximum design discharge of 1.2 million cubic feet
per second (34,000 m³/s). It is a gate-controlled weir type barrage with a
navigation lock. The barrage has 64 bays, each 60 feet (18 m) wide. The maximum
flood level height of Guddu barrage is 26 feet (8 m). It controls irrigation
supplies to 2.9 million acres (12,000 km²) of agricultural lands in the Jacobabad,
Larkana and Sukkur districts of Sindh and the Nasirabad district of
Balochistan. The cost of the project was 474.8 million rupees. It feeds Ghotki
Feeder, Begari Feeder, Desert and Pat Feeder canals.
HUB DAM
Hub Dam is a
large water storage reservoir constructed in 1981 on the Hub River on the arid
plains north of Karachi on provincial border between Balochistan and Sindh,
Pakistan. The reservoir supplies water for irrigation in Lasbela District of
Balochistan and drinking water for the city of Karachi. It is an important
staging and wintering area for an appreciable number of waterbirds and contains
a variety of fish species which increase in abundance during periods of high
water. The Mahseer (Tor putitora), an indigenous riverine fish found in the Hub
River, can grow up to 9 feet in length and more than 110 lbs. The Hub reservoir
can grow up to 32 square miles and provides for excellent angling.
KALABAGH DAM
The Kalabagh
dam is a mega water reservoir that Government of Pakistan planning to develop
across the Indus River, one of the world's largest rivers. The proposed site
for the dam is situated at Kalabagh in Mianwali District of the northwest
Punjab province, bordering NWFP.
The dam
project is a highly controversial and has been so since its inception. In
December 2005, General Pervez Musharraf, who became the President of Pakistan
after a 1999 coup, announced that he would definitely build the dam in the
larger interest of Pakistan.
HistoryThe
region of Kalabagh was once an autonomous jagir (feudal estate) within Punjab.
It was annexed by the Sikhs in 1822. After the British annexed the Punjab, the
Nawab of Kalabagh was granted the jagir of Kalabagh, in recognition of his
services to the British Raj.
According to
the PC-II of the Project, Kala Bagh dam was initiated by GOP in 1953, and until
1973, the project was basically considered as a storage project for meeting the
irrigation needs, and consequently, rapid increases in the cost of energy have
greatly enhanced the priority of the dam as a power project.
The
project's paperwork was finalized in March, 1984, with the assistance of the
United Nations Development Programme; supervised by the World Bank, for the
client Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) of Pakistan.
Controversy The
proposed construction of the Kalabagh Dam triggered an extremely bitter
controversy among the four provinces of Pakistan, namely Punjab, Sindh,
North-West Frontier Province, and Balochistan. The only province which is in
favor of this dam, is Punjab that is the most strong among all four provinces,
as usually the government is mainly centralized in it. The other three
provinces have expressed extreme dissatisfaction, going so far as to have their
provincial assemblies pass unanimous resolutions condemning the proposed dam.
Hence, the project is still under consideration.
The delay is
also being caused by the fact that according to international water
distribution law, the tailender has a legal and natural right on river and that
is why no mega construction or reservoir can be built without permission and
endorsement of the tail ender i.e. Sindh. In the case where the tail ender is
not using water i.e. building a water reservoir, a reservoir can be made
upstream. Impact assessments of the proposed dam have shown that while it will
provide storage and electricity, the dam will also have adverse impacts on the
environment, as can be expected from any large dam. It will also displace a
large number of people. While proponents point to the benefits, the adverse
factors have been played up by the opponents of the dam. As a result, the dam
has been stalled by claims and counterclaims since 1984. The controversy can be
best understood by looking at the viewpoints of each of the four provinces.
Punjab viewpoint
Punjab — the
granary of Pakistan - desperately needs more water to keep up with the growing
population and industrial demands on its agriculture. A dam at Kalabagh would
also supply cheap hydroelectric power.The annual outflow of water into the
Arabian Sea is considered a "waste" in Punjab, which feels that water
can be used to irrigate Pakistani infertile lands. Punjab wants not just
Kalabagh, but also two more large dams on the Indus, at Bhasha and Skardu/Katzarah.
It feels that the Kalabagh site is the most favourable, compared to the other
two, and that it should be built first.
Sindh viewpoint
Sindh, the
first province to point KBD project a blame game, is the lower riparian and
strongest opponent of KBD. But its case mainly against Punjab is more on a
conceptual basis of what Sindh thought to be "theft of water by
Punjab" rather than locating an actual incident of theft. Sindh supports
its argument by stating that by virtue of its name and history of water rights of
the province, Indus River belongs exclusively to Sindh. Therefore, claiming the
construction of dams, Tarbela and Mangla and now KBD actions of theft of water
at the irrigation cost of Sindh. Further, Sindh presents many objections
against the proposed dam. Some of these objections are as follows:
Sindh
objects that their share of the Indus water will be curtailed as water from the
Kalabagh will go to irrigate farmlands in Punjab and NWFP, at their cost.
Sindhis hold that their rights as the lower riparian have precedence according
to international water distribution law. The coastal regions of Sindh require a
constant flow of water down the Indus into the Arabian Sea so that the flowing
water can keep the seawater from intruding inland. Such seawater intrusion
would literally turn vast areas of Sindh's coast into an arid saline desert,
and destroy Sindh's coastal mangroves.
With the
construction of dams, such as Mangla Dam and Tarbela Dam across the Indus,
Sindhis have seen the once-mighty Indus turned into a shadow of its former
glory downstream of the Kotri Barrage up to Hyderabad. They fear that there
simply is not enough water for another large dam across the Indus, let alone
three
The Kalabagh
site is located in a highly seismic zone near an active fault, and the
underlying rocks are likely to contain numerous fractures, causing the
reservoir water to seep through the catacomb of fractures and discharge at the
lowest point around the reservoir and the Indus River. Damming the Indus has
already caused a number of environmental problems that have not yet addressed.
Silt deposited in the proposed Kalabagh dam would further curtail the water
storage capacity of Manchar Lake and other lakes and of wetlands like Haleji
Lake.
President
General Musharraf and other leaders, such as Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, have
promised ‗iron-clad' constitutional guarantees to ensure that Sindh gets its
fair share of water. However, these assurances mean little to most Sindhis, who
point out that even the earlier 1991 Indus Water-Sharing Accord, which is a
document already guaranteed by the constitutional body, the Council of Common
Interests, has been violated, and that Punjab has ―stolen" their water.
The objection to Kalabagh in Sindh is widespread. Even political parties of
Sindh that are in the central cabinet and are supported by General Musharraf,
such as the MQM, have strongly denounced the dam.
NWFP viewpoint
The NWFP has
two main objections to the dam.
While the
reservoir will be in the NWFP, the dam's electricity-generating turbines will
be just across the provincial border in Punjab. Therefore, Punjab would get
royalties from the central government in Islamabad for generating electricity.
Contrary to this, however, Punjab has agreed not to accept any royalties from
the Kalabagh Dam. The fact that the NWFP will suffer the adverse consequences
of the reservoir but not get royalties is seen as unfair.
Concerns
that large areas of Nowshera district would be submerged by the dam and even
wider areas would suffer from waterlogging and salinity as has occurred with
the Tarbela Dam.
Balochistan viewpoint
The dam does
not directly affect the Baloch as such. Rather, most nationalist Baloch Sardars
sees
the dam as
another instance of Punjab lording it over the smaller provinces. By opposing
the dam they are signaling their disaffection with being the poorest province
and most neglected of all in development. In reality Balochistan can only get
more water and its due share after the construction of Kalabagh dam and Kachhi
canal.
The Common Man's Viewpoint
Majority of
people of Pakistan are against the construction Kalabagh dam, as its
construction can prove a danger to sustain the unification of provinces under
the name 'Pakistan'. The only people who want the construction of Kalabagh dam
can be classified into two groups: The first is the high ranked officers of
Pakistan army, who will be granted farmlands to be irrigated by Kalabagh dam
after the retirements (in fact these are the most powerful supporters of dam).
The second group is the political leaders of Punjab; since the issue has turned
out be a war between Sindh and Punjab, so by favouring the construction of Dam,
Punjabi politicians can maintain their vote-bank. The only reason why President
Pervaiz Musharaf favours Kalabhgh dam is because he needs the support of Punjab
to sustain his dictatorship in the country. All the ‗oppressed' provinces
(Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan) of the country has already expressed a huge
concern over the construction of dam, specially in Sindh where every single
street has observed the protest against the dam. The people of these oppressed
provinces do not believe in any guarantee from ‗Punjabiz' Pakistani government
as it has already done many decisions against the constitution/treaties, for
example, the regulation of water in Chashma-Jehlem link canal
Analysis
Most
independent analysts believe that the foremost problem with the proposed dam at
Kalabagh is one of a trust deficit between the Punjab on one side and the other
three provinces on the other. The noted columnist, Ayaz Amir suggested that the
people of Punjab should redefine their assumptions about the rest of Pakistan
and distribution of resources. A layman of Punjab does not understand why the
rest of Pakistan does not trust Punjab. The answer, according to Amir, lies in
the frequent coups staged by the Pakistan Army (which is overwhelmingly Punjabi
in its composition), as well as the Army's extra-constitutional intervention
and influence in public sector and civil institutions of the country in general
and Sindh in particular. Now no province is ready to trust the Punjab.
All
Pakistanis agree that Pakistan faces a severe water shortage, and that some
form of water management must be implemented soon. Many point out that even if
work on Kalabagh were to start tomorrow, it would still take at least eight
years to complete and commission such a large dam. In the meantime, the water
situation would continue to worsen. Smaller dams, barrages, and canals must be
built before that, and water conservation techniques introduced.
The WAPDA
for years repeatedly changed its statistics on the dam, to the point where
no-one in Pakistan now believes any of its figures. Government of Pakistan
formed a technical committee, headed by A. N. G. Abbasi, to study the technical
merits of the Kalabagh dam vis-Ã -vis the other two. The four-volume technical
report concluded that Bhasha or Katzarah dam should be built before Kalabagh,
further complicating matters. To make matters even more complex, the report
also stated that Kalabagh and Bhasha Dams could be considered feasible. The
abrupt way in which President General Musharraf announced the decision to build
the dam, simply overruling the objections of the smaller states, has sharply
polarised public opinion. In Punjab the view is one of ―...its high time!"
while in the other states, especially Sindh, the reaction has been one of ―...over
my dead body!‖.
The fact
that the General literally dragged so controversial an issue off the backburner
and thrust it into national centre stage without considering the predictable
reactions from the smaller provinces has left many aghast. Much has been said
in the press, and the issue is still far from being resolved.
KAROONJHAR DAM
Karoonjhar
Dam is a dam in Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan.
MANGLA DAM
As per the
Indus Waters Treaty signed in 1960, India gained rights for the Ravi, Sutlej
and Beas rivers, while Pakistan, in addition to waters of above three rivers in
her area and some monetary compensation, got rights to develop the Jhelum,
Chenab and Indus river basins. Until 1967, the entire irrigation system of
Pakistan was fully dependent on unregulated flows of the Indus and its major
tributaries. The agricultural yield was very low for a number of reasons, the
most important being a lack of water during critical growing periods. This
problem stemmed from the seasonal variations in the river flow and the absence
of storage reservoirs to conserve the vast amounts of surplus water during
periods of high river discharge. The Mangla Dam was the first development
project undertaken to reduce this shortcoming and strengthen the irrigation
system. The dam was damaged partially during an Indian Air Force bombing in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 when the hydel project was hit by the bombs. The
Mangla Dam project The Mangla Dam, the twelfth largest dam and third largest
earth-filled dam in the world, is only 115 km southeast of Rawalpindi. One has
to turn left from Dina Town and the dam on river Jhelum is about 14 km to the
east. It was constructed in 1967 across the Jhelum River, about 100 miles
southeast of the federal capital, Islamabad. The main structures of the dam
include 4 embankment dams, 2 spillways, 5 power-cum-irrigation tunnels and a
power station. The main dam is 10,300 feet long and 454 feet high (above core
trench) with a reservoir of 97.7 square miles. Since its first impounding in
1967, sedimentation has occurred to the extent of 1.13 MAF, and the present
gross storage capacity has declined to 4.75 MAF from the actual design of 5.88
MAF. The live capacity has declined to 4.58 MAF from 5.34 MAF. This implies a
reduction of 19.22% in the capacity of the dam.The project was designed
primarily to increase the amount of water that could be used for irrigation
from the flow of the Jhelum and its tributaries. Its secondary function was to
generate electrical power from the irrigation releases at the artificial head
of the reservoir. The project was not designed as a flood control structure,
although some benefit in this respect also arises from its use for irrigation
and water supply.
In the
centre of the dam there is a Gakkhar Fort from where one can have a panoramic
view of the lake.
MIRANI DAM
Mirani Dam
is located in Gwadar District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Mirani Dam multipurpose
project, is located on Dasht River, about 30 miles west of Turbat in Makran
Division of Balochistan, it envisages provision of dependable irrigation
supplies for the development ref irrigated agriculture on the two banks of the
river. The project have been completed in November 2006 and inaugurated by
president Pervaiz of Pakistan.
SHAKIDOR DAM
The Shakidor
(Shadi Kor) dam is located near Pasni, in the Balochistan province of south
west Pakistan, 1,900 km (1,180 miles) from Islamabad and has a length of about
148 meters (485 feet). It was built in 2003, at a cost of 45 million rupees
(758,853 dollars), to provide irrigation water to the nearby farms.
On February
10, 2005, the dam burst under the pressure of a weeks' worth of rain, killing
at least 70 villagers and dragging their bodies to the Arabian Sea. The
Pakistani military was sent into emergency Search and Rescue operations, saving
1,200 people but still having to account for over 400 missing.
SUKKAR BARRAGE
The Sukkur
barrage is a barrage across the Indus river near the city of Sukkur, Pakistan.
It was built during the British Raj from 1923 to 1932 as the Lloyd Barrage to
help alleviate famines caused by lack of rain. The barrage enables water to
flow through what was originally a 6166- mile long network of canals, feeding
the largest irrigation system in the world, with more than 5 million acres
(20,000 km²) of irrigated land. The retaining wall has sixty-six spans, each 60
feet wide; each span has a gate which weighs 50 tons.
TARBELA DAM
Tarbela Dam
(or the National Dam), the world's largest earth-filled dam on one of the
world's most important rivers - the Indus-, is 103 km from Rawalpindi near
Haripur District. It is a major source of Pakistan's total hydroelectric
capacity. Tarbela Dam is part of the Indus Basin Project, which resulted from a
water treaty signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, guaranteeing Pakistan
water supplies independent of upstream control by India. Construction began in
1968, and was completed in 1976 at a cost of Rs.18.5 billion. Over 15,000
Pakistani and 800 foreign workers and engineers worked during its construction.
It is the biggest hydel power station in Pakistan having a capacity of
generating 3,478 MW of electricity. The dam has a volume of 138,600,000 cubic
yards (106,000,000 m³). With a reservoir capacity of 11,098,000 acre-feet
(13.69 km³), the dam is 469 feet (143 m) high and 8,997 feet (2,743 m) wide at
its crest while total area of the lake is 260 sq.km. It helps to maintain the
flow of the Indus during seasonal fluctuations.
A new,
smaller hydroelectric power project has been developed downstream known as the
Ghazi Barotha Hydel Power Project. It is solely for generating electricity and
has a water channel with the highest flow in the world.
While the
dam has fulfilled its purpose in storing water for agricultural use in
Pakistan, there have been environmental consequences to the Indus river delta.
Reductions of seasonal flooding and reduced water flows to the delta have
decreased mangrove stands and the abundance of some fish species.
Permits are
required for visiting the Dam. Please contact Public Relations Officer (PRO),
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Tarbela (Tel: 051-568941-2). A
No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Interior (Shaheed-e-Millat
Sectt.), Islamabad is also required for foreign visitors.
DIAMER-BHASHA DAM
Diamer-Bhasha
Dam is the name of a dam that has been planned in the Northern Areas of
Pakistan on the River Indus. It is located about 314 km upstream of Tarbela Dam
and about 165 km downstream of Gilgit. The dam is expected to create a large
reservoir with a gross capacity of 7.3 million-acre feet (9 km³) submerging
large tracts of land in the Diamer district. The dam is supposed to have a
power generation capacity of 3.360 megawatts and is expected to considerable
ease up the skewed hydro to thermal power generation ratio in Pakistan. It is
expected that the detailed drawings of the dam would be completed by March
2008, immediately after which construction work shall begin.
TANDA DAM (RAMSAR SITE)
Tanda Dam is
lcated in Kohat District, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The site
comprises a small water storage area in semi-arid hills in the catchments of
the Kohat Toi River. Although most of the shoreline is steep, stony and devoid
of aquatic vegetation, at the west end there are some areas of gently shelving
muddy shores with a small amount of emergent vegetation.
NAMAL DAM
Namal Lake
is located in one corner of the Namal valley in Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan.
This lake was created when Namal Dam was constructed in 1913. Namal Dam is
situated some 32 km from Mianwali city. Namal Lake spread over 5.5 sq km, in
Namal valley. There are mountains on its western and southern sides. On the
other two sides are agricultural areas.
NAMAL dam is
situated some 32 KM from Mianwali city. This dam is very old. British
Government constructed it. When Mianwali became District then the district
government buildings were constructed using water stored in Namal Lake from
this Namal Dam.
In 1913,
British engineers, to meet the scarcity of irrigation and drinking water, built
a dam on this lake and from here they irrigated lands up to Mianwali city. But
with the passage of time and construction of Thal Canal and installation of
tube wells, its utility of water squeezed up to some limit. The gates of the
dam are repaired by the irrigation department regularly but without enthusiasm.
The hill torrents and rains fill the Namal Lake round the year. Due to a
drought-like situation in the country, this lake dried up last year, which is
the first incident of its kind during the last 100 years, said one of the
senior inhabitants of this area.
An engineer
told this correspondent that the name of Namal Dam still exists on the list of
dams in the world. Namal Lake is an ideal abode for the migratory birds in
winter season when thousands of waterfowls, including Russian ducks and
Siberian cranes, land in the lake water. Due to the apathy of the wildlife
department, these guest birds are ruthlessly killed by poachers. To save these
birds, the wildlife department must declare this lake a sanctuary.
There is
beautiful sulphur water fountain near the Numal dam site.People use this water
for treatment of different diseases.This sulphur water fountain is very old but
even then the flow rate of water is same .If government take care and give
attention to this fountain then this can be a great source of sulphur.By drying
the water you can get a good quality sulphur from here.
KANPUR DAM
Khanpur Dam
is a dam located on the Haro River near the town of Khanpur, about 25 miles
from Islamabad, Pakistan. It forms Khanpur Lake, a reservoir which supplies
drinking water to Islamabad and Rawalpindi and irrigation water to many of the
agricultural and industrial areas surrounding the cities. The dam was named
from the former Khanpur village, which was submerged by the reservoir, so a new
Khanpur town has been built downstream of the Dam.
The dam was
completed in 1983 after a 15-year construction period believed to have cost Rs.
1,352 million. It is 167 feet high and stores 110,000 acre-feet of water.
MISRIOT DAM
Misriot dam
is located 12 km southwest of Rawalpindi. This small dam has an artificial lake
with boating and fishing facilities. Fishing permit may be obtained from
fishing guard at Misriot. It has a pleasant landscape and walkways beyond the
lake among eruptions of black rocks.
TANAZA DAM
It is a
small dam located at about 35 Km southwest of Rawalpindi on Dhamial Road. Ideal
for a day trip, the lake has a quiet atmosphere.
WARSAK DAM
The gignatic
multi-purpose Warsak Dam is situated 30 kms north-west of Peshawar in the heart
of tribal territory. It has a total generating capacity of 240,000 kw and will
eventually serve to irrigate 110,000 acres of land.
TAUNSA BARRAGE
Taunsa
Barrage is located on Indus river in Punjab, Pakistan.
The Taunsa
Barrage was completed in 1958, and it has been identified as the barrage with
the highest priority for rehabilitation. It requires urgent measures to avoid
severe economic and social impacts on the lives of millions of poor farmers
through interruption of irrigation on two million acres (8,000 km²) and
drinking water in the rural areas of southern Punjab, benefiting several
million farmers. In 2003, the World Bank has approved a $123 million loan to
Pakistan to rehabilitate the Taunsa Barrage on the River Indus whose structure
had been damaged owing to soil erosions and old-age. This project will ensure
irrigation of the cultivated lands in the area of the Muzaffargarh and Dera
Ghazi Khan canals, and through the Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canal that supplements
the water supply to Panjnad headworks canals.
TAUNSA BARRAGE (RAMSAR SITE)
Taunsa
Barrage wetland site is located 20 km northwest of Kot Adu, Muzaffargarh
District, Punjab, Pakistan.
The rare
marbled teal Marmaronetta angustirostris is a regular passage migrant and winter
visitor in small numbers. The rare Indus dolphin Platanista minor and otter
Lutra perspicillata are present in the river in small numbers. The site forms a
very important wintering area for waterbirds, (notably Anatidae), and a
breeding area for several species, notably Dendrocygna javanica, and a staging
area for certain cranes (Grus grus and Anthropoides virgo) and shorebirds.
Dendrocygna javanica is a common breeding summer visitor with 325 counted in
August 1995. Over 24,000 waterbirds were present in mid-January 1987,
including: 620 Phalacrocorax niger, 79 Anser indicus, 2,780 Anas penelope, 770
A. strepera, 4,880 A. crecca, 270 A. platyrhynchos, 1,660 A. acuta, 390 A.
clypeata, 4,690 Aythya ferina, 53 Anthropoides virgo, 150 Porphyrio porphyrio and
7,510 Fulica atra, along with fewer numbers of Tachybaptus ruficollis, Tadorna
tadorna, Marmaronetta angustirostris, Netta rufina, Aythya fuligula,
Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Himantopus himantopus and Numenius arquata. The
wetland was first declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary of 6,567 ha in 1972, the
Sanctuary was re-listed in April 1983, then in July 1988 and subsequently in
March 1993. It has been proposed that the Indus River from Taunsa Barrage
upstream to Kalabagh and downstream to Guddu Barrage be declared as a World
Heritage Site for the Indus dolphin Platanista minor.
CHASHMA BARRAGE (RAMSAR SITE)
Chashma
Barrage wetland site is located Indus Monsoon Forest, some 25 km southwest of
Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan.
The site is
comprised of a large barrage, a water storage reservoir and a series of
embankments (serving as flood bounds) which divide the reservoir into five
shallow lakes at low water levels. The site is comprised of a large barrage, a
water storage reservoir and a series of embankments (serving as flood bounds)
which divide the reservoir into five shallow lakes at low water levels.
The aquatic
vegetation consists of Hydrilla verticillata, Nelumbium speciosum, Nymphaea
lotus, Typha angustata, Typha elephantina, Phragmites australis, Potamogeton
crispus-Myriophyllum sp.-Nymphoides cristatum, Potamogeton pectinatus,
Saccharum spontaneum, Vallisneria spiralis and Zannichellia palustris. The
natural vegetation of the region is a mixture of subtropical semi-evergreen
scrub and tropical thorn forest. Species include Olea ferruginea, Acacia
modesta, A. nilotica, Adhatoda vasica, Dodonaea viscosa, Gymnosporia sp.,
Prosopis cineraria, Reptonia buxifolia, Salvadora oleoides, Tamarix aphylla, T.
dioica, Ziziphus mauritania, Z. nummularia, Chrysopogon aucheri, Lasiurus
hirsutus, Heteropogon contortus and Panicum antidotale. Prosopis glandulosa has
been introduced in the area. Most of the natural thorn forest on the plains to
the east of the Indus has been cleared for agricultural land and for irrigated
plantations of Dalbergia sissoo and other species. The rich fish fauna includes
Gudusia chapra, Notopterus chitala, Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala, C. reba,
Labeo rohita, L. microphthalmus, Puntius ticto, P. stigma, Barilius vagra,
Wallago attu, Rita rita, Bagarius bagarius, Mystus aor, M. seenghala,
Heteropneustes fossilis, Eutropiichthys vacha, Nandus sp., Mastacembelus
armatus, M. pancalus, Ambassis nama, A. ranga and Channa punctatus. Other
aquatic fauna includes Hirudinaria sp., Palaemon spp., Rana tigrina, Kachuga
smithi, Trionyx gangeticus and Lissemys punctata. Mammals occurring in the area
include Sus scrofa cristatus, Axis porcinus, Canis aureus, Felis libyca and
Lutra perspicillata.
KACCHI CANAL PROJECT
Kachhi Canal
Project is located in Punjab, Pakistan. Kachhi Canal Project was started in
October 2002. The project, estimated to cost Rs28 billion, is planned as a fast
track part of Vision-2025, the national development programme of water and
hydropower resources. The first leg of the project comprises 500-kilometre-long
Kachhi Canal to off take from Taunsa Barrage with a capacity of 6,000 cusecs.
According to the official documents, the project will provide irrigation to
713,000 acres of land and will enhance cropping intensity in the project area
from the present 2 per cent to 46 per cent. The Kachhi Canal will be fed
through Taunsa Barrage for only six months.