Creation of Gomal Valley Authority for developing South Waziristan Agency and the two Districts of D.I.Khan and Tank

The Districts of D.I.Khan and Tank bordering South Waziristan Agency consist of a vast, barren plain formed by the rich silt deposition  brought by Gomal Zam, Tank Zam, Daraban Zam, Sheikh Hyder Zam and Choudhwan Zam. All these rivers/streams have perennial flow. These rivers cause sever damages during the flood season with heavy soil erosion and ravine formation. These need development to provide source of living for the jobless of SWA to prevent terrorism.

Gomal Zam was the most notorious river causing sever damages to property and the infrastructures. I discovered these five Zams in 1959 and prepared a Master Plan for their development. This Master plan also included the Chashma gravity flow canal and Chashma lift canal to irrigate the entire districts of D.I.Khan and Tank The vast plain of D.I. Khan, Tank and  Kulachi is known as DAMAN.

Gomal Zam has a spectacular dam site at Khajuri Katch. The dam site was first discovered by me in 1959. The Harza International Consultants of USA and the Energoprojekt of Yugoslavia highly appreciated the spectacular, and the narrowest dam site, at Khajuri Katch. Unfortunately, the project was delayed by WAPDA for no reason. The Gomal Zam Dam is completed after 50 years with the USA help.

The region has tremendous potential for irrigated agriculture. Gomal Zam has the storage capacity of 1.14 maf. It will irrigate 163,000 acres of barren lands. Gomal Zam will produce 17 MW of hydropower. It will completely control super floods in Gomal River.

If the five Zams and Chashma lift canal are developed, the entire plain of DAMAN will be brought under perennial irrigated agriculture. It will feed the entire population of South Waziristan Agency and the two districts. It will provide jobs to all jobless people. The poor, the hungry, the one engaged in terrorist activities will be put to useful use. They will be able to earn at their doorsteps. The ferocious Mahsud and Wazir tribes can be put into good condition.

South Waziristan Agency (SWA) has the greatest potential to produce all sorts of fruit, and vegetables. Agro-based industries can be established in SWA. The area is suitable for growing orchards to produce all kinds of fruits, grow vegetables. Dehydration plants can be set up to preserve fruit, vegetables, meet, dates. Fruit can be tanned. Cold storage be built. Cattle and dairy farming can be set up. Poultry farm for various birds can be set up besides apiculture. The savage people of the area will get docile. They will have the source of earning, get education and will become useful citizen. They will avoid extremism and terrorism.

It is therefore suggested to create a “Gomal Valley Authority” responsible to develop SWA and the two districts of D.I.Khan and Tank. GVA will develop the five Zams and the Chashma Lift Canal. All these Zams originate from the Tribal areas. The source of water supply for the Chashma Lift Canal is the Indus River.

The  hydropower generation capacity of the five Zams would be approximately 35 to 40 MW. There is need to generate more power for development of this area. Power can be generated by installing about 40 Wind Mills to produce another 40 MW of power. We have to meet the power needs of agro-based industries and power for lifting water by the Chashma Lift Canal. In addition to this, power would be needed for domestic use. The Chashma Lift Canal will need ensured power supply for irrigated agriculture. This will not be locally available from five Zams. Moreover, Pakistan has already a short fall of 6000 MW to 7200 MW of power. I doubt very much that Pakistan will be able to meet its short fall with in the next 20 years. The GVA will have to meet its own power needs.

The power needs of the Chashma Lift Canal will be a great problem. It cannot be met from the National grid. To meet the power needs of Chashma Lift Canal, some special arrangements shall have to be made by the Gomal Valley Authority. The nearest source and the permanent source of hydropower generation is from the Indus River.

Power Generation by Gomal Valley Authority for the development of South Waziristan Agency

For quick generation of cheap and firm power for meeting the entire needs of the GVA, I propose a unique suggestion to build a 100 feet low dam nearly at the end of the Indus River Valley. On the crest of this low dam, a 50 feet high conventional barrage be built. This hydraulic structure named as “Fateh Barrage” will generate 2000 to 6000 MW of hydropower. The reservoir capacity of the low dam-cum-barrage is nearly 3.0 maf. This can be repeatedly filled during the year, as about 85 maf of water passes at this pivotal point. This hydraulic structure on the Indus will act as balancing reservoir. The power needs of Chashma Lift Canal can be met from this source which is the nearest to the Chashma Lift Canal. The surplus power can be sold to the Government. The unique feature of this project is that it requires no land acquisition, no land compensation as the storage will be with in the Indus River valley. It will be completed with in 3 years at low cost. Surplus power can be sold to the Government of Pakistan.

Let Harza International Consultants investigate and prepare a Master Plan for Gomal Valley Authority to develop this area so that source of earning is available and the extremism and terrorism disappear from this region.  Harza has worked for 40 years in Pakistan and know this area and its problems. If this scheme is not implemented then it will not be possible to execute the Chashma Lift Canal and support the agro-based industries. All lift canal depend on ensured hydropower source.

In my original proposal when I discovered Khajuri Katch dam site, I found at site and suggested to generate more hydropower on the downstream of the main Khajuri Katch Dam that is Gomal Dam, as there is great slope that can be used for more power generation before one reaches Murtaza Weir at the end of the valley.

We can also generate power from the wind. During winter, wind from Gomal valley blows for long time. This wind is locally called, “Gomal wind”. We can install a number of wind mills to produce power.

Gomal Zam causes huge flood damages to property and infrastructures, beside soil erosion and ravine formation. This is prevented,, as the 2010 flood has shown. There are no damages.

The development of this area will contribute to the improvement of the environment. This will also contribute to mitigate climate change. It will be a food basket for the province.

Pakistan will be short of water during the Rabi and early Kharif crops sowing, as India has built dozens of dams in the occupied Kashmir on Pakistani Rivers in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. Therefore, the economic development of SWA and the two districts is highly essential. It will provide jobs to tribal people in their hometown. This will be a great achievement, as it will bring peace in the region.

As water from the Gomal reservoir is silt free, therefore, I recommend to irrigate the area by Sprinkler and Drip irrigation method instead of flood irrigation. The new method will irrigate more than two times the area irrigated by flooding land.

Moreover, I recommend to carry water in pipe supply instead of watercourses. This will save water from seepage, and evaporation, as the temperature is very high in this region. The main canals and the distributaries must be lined to save water from wastage.

I further suggest that this area be quickly developed to curb terrorism and be a model for the rest of Pakistan on scientific lines of Integrated Comprehensive Water Management. The owners of land are extremely poor. Therefore, the development of land on some sort of cooperative basis will be necessary for achieving optimum benefit. If necessary, some law be enforced to develop this area as one unit. The development should not be left to the poor owners who will never take benefit of this great opportunity.