It is a rare case where change of dam site from Gul Katch to Khajuri Katch during its construction is involved because of wrong dam site selection. About Rs 20 million were spent on a wrong dam site at Gul Katch till 1959. I changed the dam site from Gul Katch to Khajuri Katch when I was appointed its Project Director. I abandoned the Gul Katch Dam site. Time and money was wasted.
Gomal Zam is a flash flood river that damages crops, property, infrastructures and forms ravines due to soil erosion. Gomal Zam has a long history to control its floods and use its water for the development of backward and desert-like area. Due to WAPDA’s inefficiency, it has taken a very long time to complete it.
The control of Gomal Zam flood waters going waste and causing heavy land erosion and ravine formations was originally conceived in 1850. However, construction work began on the dam in 1956. The dam site at Gul Katch was close to Afghanistan Gomal River ’s major tributary, the Zhob River
The storage of the Gomal Zam Dam does not depend on water from Afghanistan Afghanistan Gomal River in Afghanistan Zhob River joins the Gomal River Zhob River
About Rs20 million were spent till 1958-59 on a wrong dam site at the Gul Katch on the Gomal Zam due to the lack of investigations and planning. In 1959-60, the Gomal Zam project was taken over by Wapda from the irrigation department for early completion. Simultaneously, irrigation department sent me to WAPDA who posted me as the Project Director, Gomal Zam. I was directed to complete the dam at Gul Katch where the work was in full swing.
However, I reviewed the project-planning concept of Gomal Zam Dam afresh, and found in my desk studies, an excellent dam site with an extremely narrow gorge at Khajuri Katch that is something rare but was ignored. This site is on the downstream of the confluence of the Zhob River , the major tributary of the Gomal River
After completing the studies, I prepared a pre-feasibility report for the newly discovered site to achieve optimum development. After that I decided to visit the new dam site for conducting site investigations. The dam site is in the most dangerous tribal area where no official has ever gone before. It is virtually no man’s land. At the dam and reservoir site, I confirmed my own basic findings on the ground on which the pre-feasibility report was prepared from the GTS sheets.
In view of this, I stopped the wasteful construction work going on at the Gul Katch dam site in 1959. I then sent the feasibility report on the Khajuri Katch dam site to the then Chairman Wapda, Ghulam Farooque for his information and decision. The pre-feasibility report on the new dam site was jointly studied by the Harza International Consultants of the US and the Energo-project of Yugoslavia
Appreciating my discovery, Ghulam Farooque ordered to build my statue at the Khajuri Katch dam site in recognition of the discovery of the new dam site with unique features. A great national loss was avoided due to the wrongly planned project at the wrong site. Moreover, I further pointed out a unique aspect of the dam, its huge reservoir located in an absolutely barren and desolate tribal area where there is no sign of habitation in need of compensation. As there is no population displacement or any structure coming under water that needs compensation therefore its cost is very low. Moreover, the huge reservoir provided an excellent capacity inflow ratio that would prolong the life of the reservoir, indefinitely.
The Gomal Zam dam at Khajuri Katch has absolutely no adverse environmental impact and no socio-economic problems as wrongly assumed by the NGOs. The project has all conceivable benefits of multiple nature with no adverse effect in any form. This is a unique feature of this project. The Gomal Zam dam will convert the desert-like area into green field and also raise afforestation to attract more rainfall. It will create oasis in the desert.
The NGOs would be surprised to know that the Khajuri Katch valley where the dam is to be built is called “Dozagh Tangi” i.e. the valley of hell. After the Khajuri Katch dam on Gomal Zam, the valley of hell will turn into a valley of paradise. Moreover, due to the extremely narrow gorge, and a vast reservoir the cost of the project becomes very low as compared to its multiple benefits. The construction of the 52 years’ old running Gomal Zam project in hand is justified even for a single purpose of either to control floods, or perform irrigation of the huge barren area. The hydropower generation and the stoppage of land erosion and the control of floods to avoid damages are its by-products benefits. The NGOs have wrongly opposed the construction of the dam, wrongly presuming that it is being built only for power generation of 17.4 MW. They have ignored its vast irrigation potential of irrigating 160,000 acres of barren lands and its 100 per cent flood control aspect of the Gomal Zam dam. They have not assessed the stoppage of land erosion of 3500 acres yearly and the colossal flood damages. It clearly proves that the NGOs are creating confusion and spreading all sorts of incorrect and conflicting information to sabotage a unique project that is the source of green revolution and the source of poverty alleviation for the poor people and the means to revive a desolate area. This project will bring revolutionary changes in improving the overall condition of the area. The opposition to such project shows the Sungi and the action Aid are not working in social sector but in a sector to crush the poor and the deprived people and are working against human rights and poverty alleviation.
This project is a feather in the cap of President Pervaiz Musharraf who inaugurated its construction on 22 August 2001 that was long due since 1850. Unfortunately, Wapda and the government of NWFP never bothered to invite the discoverer of Khajuri Katch dam, a lifetime dream of an engineer seeing its project to be implemented. This is a country of unsung heroes.
The matter is serious as water shortage is ruining the country, and the people opposing excellent storage all over the country in violation of the Water Accord should be taken note of. All the above facts of the dam site are confirmed in the project’s feasibility reports conducted by foreign consultants. In view of all this, the survey conclusions drawn by the NGOs are wrong. Again, it is shocking that the two NGOs are ignorant about the provisions of Water Accord while making wrong and misleading conclusions. The para 10 of the Water Accord specifically provides to build the Gomal Zam dam and other dams to store water going waste in the respective districts of D.I. Khan, Bannu and Kohat as the water of the local rivers in these districts are allocated to the local areas of the NWFP as its share. Therefore, it does not involve sharing of water between the provinces or create any complexities as wrongly assumed. These are local rivers with flash floods and their water is not on national pool but exclusively allocated to the NWFP as per para 10 of the Water Accord. There are no restrictions on developing irrigation in the Gomal, Kurram and Kohat basins. The question of dispute for sharing this water does not arise.
The annual average flow of Indus River
The opposition to the Gomal Zam dam with imaginary and wrong conclusions show that somebody wants to destroy this country economically by not developing its land and water resources through the construction of dams. Opposition to feasible dams anywhere is violation of the Water Accord and IRSA Act. As a matter of fact, construction of dams to store surplus water going waste is the only solution to remove water scarcity, solve provincial disputes and bring prosperity. The Water Accord under para 6 provides to build storage wherever possible to develop irrigated agriculture. A river must have storage dams equal to its annual runoff. Storage dams are necessary to build the economy, alleviate poverty, create jobs and eliminate terrorism and to emerge as a strong nation.
Likewise, the Pakistani three gorges dam discovered by me in 1962 on the Indus at “Katzarah” 20 miles down stream of Skardu, storing 35maf of almost silt free water during the monsoon, generating 15000 MW of power with 1000 years life-span is yet another unique, and one of the largest storage reservoir in the world. It needs immediate construction to overcome many problems.
Surprisingly, this mega project is not yet brought to the notice of the President in spite of great needs and bitter storage controversy and in spite of my detailed reports sent to all concerned and various ministries, including the office of the Chief Executive and to the GHQ, besides the chief of planning division and to the press.
The solution to sound land, water and power development for irrigated agriculture lies in excellent governance at the policy and decisionmaking level by the very competent water resources engineers under the direct patronage of the President. It is the only hope to develop water resources on right lines. The conclusions made by the Sungi and the Action Aid NGOs on highly technical subject about the unique Gomal Zam dam show nothing but a great ignorance.
Engr Fateh ullah Khan
Former Project Director Gomal Zam Project and
Discoverer of Khajuri Katch Dam site
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