Replacing Kalabagh Dam by unique alternative of Raised Fateh Barrage

I have found an excellent replacement to Kalabagh Dam that is highly controversial, technically faulty due to its restricted mid-level sluicing hydraulic design and is opposed by the KBD Project consultant. KBD has weak foundation, low power generation, receive heavy silting with 470 million tons giving short life-span and is infeasible on many counts. It is  destructive for Peshawar valley. The cost of land compensation for KBD will be prohibitive, as land that is inundated shall have to be acquired up to El 965.

All these grave faults in KBD would be replaced by the proposed Raised Fateh Barrage at 20% of the cost of Kalabagh Dam. Fateh Barrage will achieve two to three times more water and power benefits with almost perpetual life-span. It will serve as a balancing reservoir for water released from Tarbela Dam when more power generation is required without wasting irrigation water. The beauty of this unique proposal is that no land compensation is involved, no land acquisition is required and no controversy would be involved, as water will be stored with in the valley short of Attock gorge. There will be no silting, as during floods, it will function as a traditional barrage like Chashma barrage. I first submitted this proposal in 1994 when I was Chairman IRSA.

Kalabagh Dam is located downstream the confluence of the Indus River and Soan River with a length of about two miles at El 680 whereas the Raised Fateh Barrage is to be located on the Indus near about El 690, about two miles or so on the upstream of KBD. The raised barrage will consist of a 100 feet high dam at El 690+100=790 feet. On the crust of this dam, a conventional barrage will be constructed say with a height of about 50 feet. The barrage will create about 3.0 maf of storage up to El 790+50=840 feet. This storage can be re-filled two to three times in a year. This comes to 6 maf to 9 maf a year. It will generate hydropower on run of the river like at Warsak Dam. This could vary between 2000 MW to about 4500 MW.

We have suffered terribly due to the controversial and infeasible Kalabagh Dam for the past 36 years. The load shedding has become a permanent feature. It has destroyed the economy besides paralyzing life of common man. Even today, there is strong lobby for building KBD not knowing what the KBD consultant said, and why WAPDA gave a tailored TOR to the KBD consultant to achieve its hidden objective for which it is insisting, creating 36 years status quo and avoiding not to build the unique Katzarah Dam and the excellent Guroh Dop Dam. The hidden objective is to take 150 miles long high level canal with a discharge of 15,000 cusecs to feed Jehlum River System. The Right Bank Canal is infeasible. I hold WAPDA responsible for the tremendous losses caused by the 2010 floods, as there was no dam to store floodwater. Due to shortage of water, Water Accord paras 2, 4, 6 and 14(e) could not be implemented so far. This is the reason for inter-provincial water dispute.