God’s curse be on those who devastated the country by floods for not building dams

Losses caused by August-September 2010 flood for not building Katzarah and Guroh Dop dams

The country is devastated and suffered irreparable loss by floods for not building dams in 46 years (36+10) after the construction of Tarbela Dam. Basha will take 10 years for completion if the Government is serious. Gomal Zam Dam is built in 50 years, but still canal network is yet to be completed. Prediction is that another flood of about the same intensity may come any time. It may come before the construction of flood control dams.

It is estimated that about 40 million people are affected. About 300,000 livestock animals are lost. About 3.5 million hectors of cropland destroyed. About 3000 people killed. About 1.9 million villages washed off. The infrastructure suffered loss of billions of dollars. Many more losses not recorded are in addition to the above. The losses seem to be unrecoverable. All this is because dams were not there. WAPDA is ignorant about Katzarah Dam and Guroh Dop Dam.

I am giving you information on the merits of building dams and the demerits for not building dams. I quote the devastating floods of July-August 2010 of this year as an example for both cases.

I also let you know what the country’s leading Newspapers lament in headlines for not building dams as;

“The water was there, the dams weren’t” (The News dated Sept 24, 2010)

“Flood-hit Pakistan to face water shortage in Rabi” (Dawn dated Sept 25 2010)

(57 maf of floodwater wasted to sea because of no dams. Shortage in Rabi is WAPDA’s negligence)

And the reward for building dams is;

“USAID to help complete Gomal Zam Dam” (The News Sept 25, 2010)

Gomal Zam Dam built this year, mitigated floods and saved the two Districts from flood devastation. (Chairman WAPDA)

Benefits of building Dam

The recent building of Gomal Zam Dam on Gomal River in South Waziristan Agency mitigated flood and saved the two Districts from flood devastation

I am the discoverer of Khajuri Katch dam site on Gomal Zam Dam in 1959. The dam was being built at wrong site on Gomal River since 1956 and about Rs. 20 million were wasted at wrong dam site up to the year 1958. On taking over the charge as Project Director, I found that Gomal Zam Dam was wrongly located. I therefore shifted the dam site about 30 miles on the downstream below the confluence of Zob River with Gomal River in 1959. After abnormal delay, the main dam structure is built by WAPDA after 50 years by the year 2010. This shows the height of inefficiency of WAPDA.

 Moreover, I am the forgotten unsung discoverer of Gomal Dam, as I was not invited to the foundation laying ceremony of the dam by WAPDA. On the completion of the dam’s structure after 50 years by WAPDA, the dam saved the two districts of Dera Ismail Khan, and Tank including Kulachi town and the whole of Gandapur area. The Chairman WAPDA issued statement that Gomal Zam Dam protected this area from super flood. The Chairman did not name or appreciate the discoverer of the Dam for his discovery, hard work, capability and courage to work in the most dangerous tribal area of South Waziristan Agency, travelling on foot in the valley of Dozakh Tangi or the valley of hell to reach dam site. My work was highly appreciated by Harza Consultants and the Energoproject Consultants from Yugoslavia. The Harza Consultants said “We have 30 years dams construction experience through out the world but we have never seen such a spectacular dam site as discovered by Engr Fateh Ullah Khan”.

The miracle of Gomal Zam Dam is that this year the furious flood has completely been tamed. The reservoir of Gomal Zam Dam is filled to full capacity. More than two million people are directly saved from flood devastation and displacement. This is because the Dam was there just before floods. The whole credit goes to the unsung discoverer of Khajuri Katch Dam site on Gomal River. Ghulam Faruque the then chairman declared in 1959 at the dam site in the presence of Consultants and the Political authorities to build my Statue at the dam site in recognition of my services. There is no recognition in this country for discoveries or for services rendered beyond the call of duty.

The present Chairman WAPDA statement appeared in The News dated September 2010 is;

“The incumbent Chairman expressed satisfaction over the role played by Gomal Zam Dam in mitigating the floods last month. The project though under construction, successfully mitigated the flood of the River Gomal, absorbing a huge quantum of water in the reservoir and releasing only through its diversion tunnel. Had Gomal Zam Dam been not built. there would have been more devastation in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan”.

The building of Gomal Zam Dam is an example of protecting the vast area from flood devastation. It greatly benefitted the area and has created a huge reservoir of water.

Country’s devastation by 22% for not building Dams           

We have the example of worst flood devastation on earth for not building dams

The irreparable losses by this year historic floods for not building dams on the Indus at Katzarah and Basha and on Guroh Dop Dam on Panjkora River/Swat River are roughly mentioned above.   

Like the discovery of new dam site of Khajuri Katch on Gomal Zam Dam by me in 1959, I discovered the World’s excellent dam sites in Pakistan during the period from 1960 to 1962. Katzarah and Guroh Dop Dams are the two unique dam sites with very large storage reservoirs, excellent capacity-inflow ratio, and nominal silt flow. Each reservoir has a lifespan of 1000 years with excellent service value. Had Katzarah and Guroh Dams been built after 1962, there would have been no flood devastation as the flood in Kabul River and Indus river would have been tamed. There would have been no scarcity of water. There would have no inter-provincial water dispute.

The Unique Katzarah Dam on the Indus

I discovered Katzarah dam site in 1962. Dr Pieter Lieftnick head of the World Bank Team confirmed this site in 1968. The storage capacity of this dam is 35 maf that is 6 times the storage capacity of Basha Dam or Kalabagh Dam. The inflow at the dam site varies between 27maf to 35 maf. Katzarah Dam has the capability to produce 15,000 MW of hydropower. It is super flood control dam. It will irrigate 5 million acres of barren land in the four provinces. Katzarah Dam has lifespan of 1000 years.

 Katzarah is the cheapest dam per maf of storage water, per MW of power generation, per year of lifespan, per year of service value. Katzarah Dam is multipurpose. It is a Replacement Dam. It is a carryover dam, and a river regulation dam. It is a poverty alleviation dam. It is a development dam. Katzarah Dam storage would implement paras 2, 4, 6, and para 14(e) of the Water Accord to end inter-provincial water dispute. It will end crippling load shedding.

In spite of my all efforts from years to years after 1962, WAPDA paid no attention to this unique dam simply for the apparent reason to build Kalabagh Dam before any other dam. WAPDA promised before Nisar Memon Perliamentary Committee to submit feasibility report of Katzarah Dam in September 2005 but the promise proved to be false. Even the Government of Sindh in The News dated June 2009 demanded the construction of Katzarah Dam. It said  “What keeps us from going for Katzarah Dam?”

Guroh Dop Dam on Panjkore River/Swat River

I discovered Guroh Dop Dam site in November 1960. I submitted its prefeasibility report to WAPDA. Guroh Dop Dam has 8.5 maf storage capacity, the second largest storage after Katzarah Dam. It is a multipurpose flood control dam. It will completely store the entire Panjkora River normal flow of about 3 maf per year and the super flood. The reservoir has excellent capacity-inflow ratio. River Swat will be tamed after storing the Panjkora River flow, that is its parallel and equivalent main tributary. It is jointly called Swat River. Guroh Dop storage is 1.4 times more than the storage capacity of Basha or Kalabagh Dam. Guroh Dop Dam will generate about 600 MW of power and provide irrigation facilities to an area of 50,000 acres of barren land. It has 1000 years lifespan.

There is another beauty of Guroh Dop Dam that the Chitral River flow after damming it by Mirani Dam, can be diverted to the catchment area of Panjkora River for storage in Shigo Katch Reservoir of Panjkora River. As such, Guroh Dop Dam will substantially reduce inflow of floodwater into Kabul River. The Kabul River floodwater would be under control by building Guroh Dop Dam and the flood fury of the Indus will also reduce as Kabul River flood flow would reduce.. Katzarah and Basha Dam will control the Indus floodwater. On Kabul River, Jehlum Rivrer and Chinab River, there are no dam sites to store floodwater. It is only the Indus, Swat and Panjkora Rivers where floodwater can be stored.        

We have not built dams on the Indus, Swat and Punjkora Rivers. The consequences appeared in the form of worst flood disaster on earth destroying the Indus basin. On the other hand, we have build Gomal Zam Dam and we saved two districts from flood devastation and displacement. This makes the difference of building or not building dams.

 The dams play a pivotal role of bringing prosperity, safety from floods, and rapid economic development. I would say again curse be on those who oppose building Katzarah Dam and Guroh Dop Dam. In these dams lies Water Security for Pakistan. The state of water security in Pakistan is very poor and is becoming poorer day by day. The Global warming, glacier melting and climate change is going to play hell. It direly needs to mitigate these calamities. Please consult my website (fatehuk.blogspot.com ). We are facing many water issues not one. You will find solutions to all water issues of Pakistan in my blog specially foreseen for this day.

WAPDA is unaware of the multipurpose Guroh Dop Dam, located only a few miles on the upstream of Munda Dam. Munda Dam’s feasibility was prepared as a power dam, as it has nominal live storage of 0.67 maf. Munda is single purpose dam on run-of-the-river, but now WAPDA wrongly declared it as flood control dam and claims that Peshawar valley would be saved from floods. How can negligible storage capacity of 0.67 maf, with run-of-the-river flow accommodate 286 times the storage capacity of Munda Dam mitigate flood discharge of 400,000 cusecs in Kabul River? How can 0.67 maf of floodwater reservoir, accommodate 285.7 times of its size of floodwater storage? Attention is invited to WAPDA statement in The News dated September 4, 2010 as “Munda is a multipurpose project with the objectives to control floods…” This shows WAPDA is cheating the public and the Government. Beware! Munda is NOT a flood control dam. It is a power dam.