New concept of raised barrage for “Valley Storage” with unrestricted low-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure

(Research paper on unique combination of low-dam-cum barrage for valley storage)

A new concept in silt sluicing hydraulic structure to mitigate power shortage, water shortage, super-flood alleviation that involves no land acquisition, no land compensation, no population displacement and as by-product to serve as far better, long life substitute for Kalabagh Dam besides climate mitigating.

I suggest long life, far more beneficial, non-controversial, technically feasible, mid-term, fast track, and a unique design concept for a raised barrage to avail site potential at the end of the Indus River valley as well to serve as a substitute for Kalabagh Dam at elevation near 700 feet.

The concept is to build 100 feet low-dam to function as dead storage and to gain height for the raised barrage up to elevation 800 feet. On the crest of this dam a 50 to 60 feet high conventional barrage be built to function as an unrestricted low-level sluicing hydraulic structure to evacuate silt out of the reservoir. It will create about 3.0 maf of storage, that can repeatedly be filled as the Indus flow at this site is about 93 maf. The low-dam-cum barrage concept is only possible in a valley and not in plain. The unique feature of this project is that no land acquisition and land compensation is involved for the reservoir.   

This may hopefully, end 37 years long lunatic political, and technical controversy on hydraulic design for silt sluicing between the KBD consultants and WAPDA because of wrong and ordaining TOR. Refer to Volume N, Appendix N of the project feasibility report. Thus, status quo over KBD prevailed. The controversy and status quo resulted in no dam building in 37 years that resulted in darkness in the country by crippling load shedding that seems to be a permanent fixture if four multipurpose dams on the Indus are not built with in 10 years besides other measures. According to a newspaper, peak shortage of power touched 6800 MW. WAPDA Chairman revealed that power need by the year 2030 would be 130,000 MW.

Status quo in not building mega dams in time resulted not only in crippling load shedding but in super-flood devastation of one-fifth of Pakistan and in water shortage for agriculture creating insecurity for food.

 I therefore suggest a unique raised barrage in concord with the silt sluicing hydraulic design suggested by the KBD project consultants in the KBD feasibility report for  evacuating silt. A barrage is an unrestricted low-level silt sluicing structure, giving free passage to super-floods and to the evacuation of silt out of the reservoir.

 I gave suggestion for the raised barrage in 1994, when I was Chairman IRSA. It went un-noticed as water development is out of vision.          

The project planning concept for valley storage at the end of the

Indus River

The project conceived is a combination of a low dam-cum-barrage all confined to the Indus River valley. The storage created by the raised barrage at the end of the Indus River would be about 3.0 maf. The reservoir full supply level will be with in the valley away from Attock gorge. The Indus River annual run-off at the site of barrage is about 93 maf. The reservoir would repeatedly be filled (3+3…) maf.

The barrage project will not cause inundation of Peshawar valley as it allows unrestricted passage to flood flows. The sediment load from a catchment area of 110500 squire miles at this site is 540 million tons, equivalent to 0.3 maf annually that will be evacuated.  There is possibility of irrigating barren lands in Karak District and Bannu Districts from the river lake from high elevation of 850 or 860. This needs investigation. The project would be acceptable to the Government of KP and other provinces as it is equally beneficial to all. However, Sindh and Baluchistan will get water at critical time of crop sowing. There is no displacement of population and land inundation as reservoir is with in the valley.

The barrage storage will serve as balancing reservoir between power generation and irrigation water conservation. The project can start at once and completed with in about 3 years. The reservoir will silt up to elevation 800. Storage between elevation 700 to 800 feet is dead storage. The river will re-adjust its slope on the upstream. Only the barrage will be visible on the upstream. The project would generate hydropower between 2000 MW to 6000 MW on run-of-the-river with storage to support.

The project will be a unique water regulating and water distributing structure for IRSA. The cost of the project would be about $ 3.0 billion dollars. The project would give breathing time by immense relief to power shortage, flood havoc and water shortage till four mega dams are built on the Indus including Katzarah and Basha dams and one at Guroh Dop on Panjkora River with storage capacity of 8.5 maf.

Because of climate change, super flood phobia prevails in the minds of 20 million people  that devastated one-fifth of Pakistan in 2010 floods. Therefore, building of Katzarah Dam and Guroh Dop Dam are of dire necessity to control 100% super-floods on the Indus and Kabul River. The raised barrage project is extremely necessary if the Prime Minister and the President pays attention to these vital national issues. Chinese may be asked to implement it on war footing. It appears no one cared a hoot for water and power development after 1974. This negligence resulted in flood devastation, crippling load shedding, acute water shortage that affected irrigated agriculture and food insecurity.

Afforestation of mountain range from the Indus River Lake to mitigate climate change

Another benefit from the raised barrage project is that water from the Lake created at the end of the Indus River can be lifted by small pumps for the afforestation of the mountain range along both banks of the Indus River in a length of 93 miles. This is to mitigate climate change. Similar action may be taken on Tarbela Reservoir for growing forest.