Unique Substitute for Kalabagh Dam

  

A unique design concept of unrestricted low-level silt sluicing flexible hydraulic structure is developed for “creating valley storage in rivers with steep slope” to mitigate power shortage, water shortage, super-flood alleviation and climate change that involves no land acquisition, no land compensation, and no population displacement. It is also a mid-term, unique and feasible substitute for

 Kalabagh Dam.

I suggest long life, far more beneficial to all provinces, non-controversial, technically feasible, mid-term, fast track, and a unique design concept for valley storage in rivers with steep slope by building a raised barrage to avail site potential at the end of the Indus River valley. The raised barrage would consist of low dam-cum-barrage at elevation near 700 feet with in the Indus River valley at its end. This hydraulic structure will serve as unique substitute for Kalabagh Dam—an astonishing coincidence.  It will give low-level unrestricted free flow passage to super floods, to evacuate heavy sediment out of the reservoir.

The concept is to build about 100 feet low-dam at the bed level of 700 feet at the end of the Indus valley to function as dead storage and to gain height for the raised barrage up to elevation 800 feet. On the crest of this low dam a 50 to 60 feet high conventional barrage be built to function as an unrestricted low-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure to evacuate silt out of the reservoir. It will create about 3.4 maf of gross storage at El 860 feet, that would repeatedly be filled, as the Indus flow at this site is about 90 maf. The low-dam-cum barrage concept is only possible in a valley and not in plain. The unique feature of this barrage is that no land acquisition, no land compensation and no population displacement is involved by the storage created. The storage reservoir will occupy no-man-land.

Another unique feature is that it is problems free, has more aggregate storage by repeated filling than Kalabagh Dam, more power generation capability, and needs no thermal power support as in case of Kalabagh Dam. The unique feature is that it will give unrestricted passage to supper floods, evacuates complete silt, and has no adverse effect on Peshawar valley. Rather the barrage may be able to irrigate lands in Laki Marwat area of Bannu district by tunneling the mountain. The possibility may be investigated to know the ground reality.

 Surprisingly, the reservoir maximum retention elevation of 860 feet is 100 feet lower than the reservoir retention level of Kalabagh Dam (KBD). The height of low dam-cum-barrage is 100+60=160 feet where as the KBD height is 260 feet.     

The barrage would end 37 years long, lunatic, status quo and political, and technical controversies on hydraulic design of KBD for silt sluicing going on between the KBD consultants and WAPDA, because of wrong and ordaining TOR. Refer to Volume N, Appendix N of the project feasibility report. The status quo over KBD prevailed because of wrong TOR and wrong selection of dam site where the Capacity-inflow ratio is the poorest on the Indus and perhaps in the world thereby creating silt evacuation problem and backwater flow in Kabul River valley. The CI ratio clearly indicates that the site is for a barrage and not for a dam. The controversy and status quo on KBD resulted in no dam building for (37+10 years for Basha)=47 years that resulted in darkness in the country by crippling load shedding that now seems to be a permanent fixture if four multipurpose, mega dams on the Indus at Katzarah, Guroh Dop Dam on Panjkora River and Mir Khani Dam on Chitral Rivers are not built with-in 10 years from now. Moreover, flood of 2010 destroyed 22% of Pakistan. Flood phobia persists and may visit any time and many time. 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 for 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 and grounds for famine, hunger and terrorism.

 I, after conducting research on “valley storage”, suggest a unique and multipurpose raised barrage to allow unrestricted low-level silt sluicing design for hydraulic structure, to store water, generate power, and evacuate silt. The raised 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. The KBD Project consultants did not agree with restricted mid-level silt sluicing design suggested by WAPDA, as silt deposited upstream of Attock gorge would not be evacuated.

 I first gave this suggestion for the raised barrage in 1994, when I was Chairman IRSA, 17 years ago. It went un-noticed as water development was out of vision.

          

The project conceived is a combination of a low dam-cum-barrage all confined to the Indus River valley. The storage created by the 60 feet raised barrage at the end of the Indus River would be about 3.4 maf. The reservoir full supply level at El 860 will be with in the valley few miles on the downstream of Attock gorge. It is even zero storage extending up to El 880 in the valley. Even at El: 900, it is .06 maf. The storage gives no obstruction to free flood flow. The Indus River annual run-off at the site of barrage is about 90 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 sever 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.

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 assured water distribution facilities at critical time of crop sowing from the unique barrage. Punjab and KP will get power royalty equally. All provinces would get improved irrigation facilities. 

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 (crest of low dam) in four years time. Storage between elevation700 to 800 feet of about 1.17 maf, is dead storage, and between 800 to 860 is live storage. 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 Power Houses located on both banks.

The project will be a unique water regulating and water distributing pivotal 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, that is Katzarah, Basha on the Indus, and Guroh Dop dam on Panjkora River with storage capacity of 8.5 maf. The fourth dam is at Mirkhani on Chitral River, its floodwater will be diverted through a tunnel to the catchment area of Guroh Dop Dam.

I wish the Government get the credit of implementing this unique barrage without loss of time. The proposed substitute will also cool the craving for KBD for that the country suffered unending load shedding, and flood devastation of 22% of Pakistan.

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

Another benefit from the raised barrage project is that nominal water from the Lake created at the end of the Indus River valley can be pumped for the afforestation of the mountain range along both banks of the Indus River in a length of about 90 miles. This is to mitigate climate change. Similar action can be taken on Tarbela Reservoir for growing forest on its banks.

                    

    

Copy to;

Secretary Water and Power, Islamabad

Advisor on Water, Ministry of Water and Power, Islamabad

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Planning Division, Islamabad

Chairman Indus River System Authority IRSA, Islamabad

Minister for Water and Power, Islamabad

Prime Minister of Pakistan and

The President of Pakistan, President House, Islamabad for information

The delay of 37 years for not building Basha Dam whose feasibility was completed in 1981, the second dam on the Indus, after completion of Tarbela in 1974, adding another 10 years delay for Basha Dam completion, comes to 47 years. No dam, for 47 years would cause a direct and indirect recurring economic loss of $200 billion per year. So far it resulted in crippling load shedding, devastating floods of 2010, water shortage creating food insecurity, no jobs, rising prices and lawlessness, creating no source of living. As a consequence some people committed suicide, and some selling their children. Terror originated due to no job and no ROTI. Poor governance for the past about 40 years is responsible for corruption. Justice is costly and late. It should be quick and cheap. I wish some patriotic Advisors and known experts guide the Prime Minister and the President to improve things in each profession, and not the sycophants and charlatans as they misguide them. There is dire need to change laws for good governance and to develop natural resources of land, water and hydropower for irrigated agriculture to produce food, secure jobs as provided in the Constitution Article 38.