Happy 65th Independence Day Pakistan 2012

Picture of my 6 months old Great Grand Son Mohammad Abdullah Gandapur

To.

              The Chief Justice of Lahore High Court

              Honorable Umar Ata Bandial ,

              LAHORE.

Sub: Technical status of Kalabagh Dam. Petition by Syed Feroz Gilani in the High Court, Lahore.  (Information for the assistance of the court)

Sir,

              I request the court considering my views based on facts and experience, free of water politics as 37 years long status quo in Kalabagh issue destroyed the country by 2010 floods, 2011 rains, and crippling load shedding.  My views are to help the court by revealing facts. Kalabagh Dam has become a puzzling dilemma for all political parties in power to build or not to build the Dam. Lack of decision has created long status quo. This cancer needs cure.

I am former Chairman IRSA. I have expertise in Dams and Reservoir Engineering and have more than 50 years experience in Water and hydropower development Resources. I am Distinction holder in Dams and Reservoir Engineering. I am the discoverer of 12 mega Dams in Pakistan during the period 1959 to 1962. I was in-charge of Dams Investigation Division. I submit in brief my views on Kalabagh dam’s technical feasibility as I have read all the 27 volumes of Kalabagh Dam Feasibility Report prepared by the Consultants when I was Chairman IRSA in 1994. I want to help solve this ugly issue from professional point of view in national interest.

This is because the controversy and not building dams destroyed the country by 2010 floods and the crippling load shedding due to long status quo intentionally caused by WAPDA. It did  not build any other dam on the Indus though Basha Dam feasibility was ready in 1981. WAPDA stuck to Kalabagh Dam and misguided the people and the Government. Unfortunately all the heads of the Departments are non-professionals who depend on the advice of lower staff.

To settle this ugly issue, I suggested unique substitute of “Raised Fateh Barrage” in place of Kalabagh Dam, involving change in hydraulic design and shifting the dam site about 3 miles upstream in the Indus valley in 1994 when I was Chairman IRSA. Basically the new structure conceived by me is a kind of combination of small dam over Raised Barrage which evacuates silt, passes maximum floods safely, as well as creates reasonable storage, and generates hydropower. My concept of Raised Barrage is in agreement with the consultant’s recommendation as it is clear from the first excerpt quoted in this report. The present site of Kalabagh Dam is on the downstream of Soan River and Indus River. The dam is about two miles long and is on the downstream of the confluence of Indus River and Soan River. None of the four provinces know the technical aspects of Kalabagh Dam. My sincere professional views on a project are in national interest and in the interest of development of sound Water and Power Resources for the country.

I agree, the objections of all the three provinces on Kalabagh Dam are vague, as these are based on lack of information, with no technical knowledge and understanding of the Kalabagh Dam’s hydraulic  design, and its adverse consequences. The provinces only play water politics without knowing the technical side of Kalabagh Dam. No technical objection is made by any province.

Exactly is the case with Punjab, as Punjab too is ignorant and its politicians only aggravate the issue politically that has influenced WAPDA at Lahore. Equally ignorant is WAPDA. Apparently Kalabagh is not the site for the Dam as chosen by WAPDA. This is evident from the poorest Capacity-inflow ratio on the Indus of (6:93). The reservoir will have short life due to rapid silting. Annual silt flow is about 540 million tons, converting this in to volume, it comes to 0.3 maf. The storage capacity of Kalabagh is about 6.1 maf. The reservoir will silt up in about 25 to 30 years as it will not evacuate heavy sediment load that will be deposited upstream of Attock gorge.  At the same time it will cause severe backwater flow and flooding of Peshawar valley.

The silt deposited upstream of Attock gorge will not be evacuated due to wrong hydraulic design imposed by WAPDA on the consultant in the TOR, except a very small amount. Refer to KBD main project report Vol 1. Few excerpts are quoted at the end of this report. Huge silt will be deposited on the upstream of Attock gorge, will create severe backwater flow and flooding in Peshawar valley.  Nowshera and all villages will be severely inundated. Even during 2010 floods, the floodwater level on the G.T road opposite to Nowshera was as high as 12 to 14 feet over the road. This was without a dam at Kalabagh. What will happen after the dam may be imagined.

WAPDA’s motto is “Kalabagh Dam or no Dam”. This is clear from the fact that WAPDA did not build the second dam on the Indus after Tarbela Dam in 37 years. Tarbela was completed in 1974. Surprisingly, Basha Dam feasibility was completed in 1981. It was ready for construction but WAPDA did not built it and stuck to Kalabagh Dam. Basha will be completed in 10 years from now. This means no dam on the Indus for 47 years. It was a great blunder not to build Basha in 1981.

The obstinacy of WAPDA and its political wish and 37 years delay in not building the second dam on the Indus resulted in the devastating floods of 2010, destroying 22 per cent area of fertile land and population, created horrible load shedding, crippling economy, and water shortage beside creating silt problem that results the in loss of storage water. What a colossal loss. WAPDA practically turned into Water and Power Destructive Authority.

For no dams in 37 years, it created 3 maf water shortage for irrigation this season. The water requirements of provinces could not be met. Moreover, Tarbela Reservoir has silt up by about 5 maf of Live storage, against its original storage of 9.6 maf. We have lost about 6.5 maf of Live storage in Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma so far with no replacement by WAPDA. In fact, WAPDA should have built four dams in 37 years. The actual fault for delay and keeping the Government in dark lies with WAPDA.

WAPDA was created in 1958 to develop water and power resources but due to its political affiliation and professional inefficiency, it turned Water and Power Destructive Authority. Please read the attached three papers for ready reference.

Sir, the court will be surprised to know that I suggested in 1961 the construction of unique 35 maf Katzarah Dam with storage capacity of 35 maf of water that is about six times the storage capacity of Kalabagh Dam or Basha Dam. Katzarah Dam will control 100 per cent floods in the Indus River, generate huge hydropower and prevent silt flow in the Indus water. This is because all the silt comes from the Skardu valley that has highly erodible soil as reported by the world Bank hydraulic expert Dr Attaullah in 1974. If Katzarah Dam is built, the life of Basha will increase from about 80 to 90 years to about 700 years. Life of Tarbela will increase by about 45 years. This is a unique quality of building Katzarah Dam. Refer to my web site for article titled “Katzarah Dam short”.

The other multipurpose dam that I suggested in 1961 is the 8.5 maf multipurpose Guroh Dop Dam on Punjkora River. This dam if built will control 100 per cent floods in Kabul River. But, WAPDA is adamant to build Kalabagh Dam to follow its motto of “Kalabagh Dam or no Dam”.

Please refer to the Nisar Memon Parliamentary committee report who visited all the provinces and the AGN Kazi Technical committee report on Kalabagh Dam and other dams including Katzarah. Both the committees recommended Katzarah Dam on the Indus and rejected Kalabagh Dam after hearing the provinces.

To end mad controversy, I suggested a unique, feasible, and multipurpose, substitute replacing Kalabagh Dam in 1994 when I was Chairman IRSA. This substitute is of a “Raised Fateh Barrage”. This is a unique and simple, cheap and immediately implementable project at the end of the main Indus River about 3 miles on the upstream of the Kalabagh Dam site at Elevation of 700 feet. KBD is located at El: 680 feet.

The Raised Barrage can store 3.4 maf of water up to El 86o feet, 4.7 maf at El: 880 feet and about 6.2 maf water at El: 900 feet. Please refer to Kalabagh Dam storage capacity curve. All storage water will be within the Indus River valley. The Raised Fateh Barrage will function as a traditional barrage like Chashma and Taunsa. It will completely evacuate silt and pass maximum floods without causing backwater flow and floods in Kabul river of Peshawar valley. It will not inundate any area in any province.

There is no need of land acquisition and no land compensation. There is almost no population movement as storage is within the Indus River valley. Within the water-way where there is no population. The Raised Fateh Barrage will function as Balancing Reservoir if more power generation is required at Tarbela without the loss of irrigation water. It is highly beneficial for all provinces.

The Raised Fateh barrage installed hydropower generation will nearly be between 2000 MW to 6000 MW on run-of-the-river depending on the amount of flow in the Indus. There will be two power houses located on each bank. One is for Punjab and the other is for KPK. It can irrigate Lakki Marwat area of KPK from the Raised Barrage Reservoir through a tunnel. Raised Fateh Barrage can be completed within two and a half years at a cost of about $ 2 billion.  The major change is in hydraulic design that will evacuate silt and floods. If this proposal was implemented in 1994, there would have been almost no load shedding, and no water shortage. 

The KBD Project consultant suggested “100 days unrestricted low-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure” to evacuate silt and to pass maximum floods whereas, WAPDA wanted to implement “50 days restricted mid-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure” as per the tailored TOR  given by WAPDA to the consultants with instruction to follow what they desire. It was an unusual TOR to force the consultants to do something unprofessional and unusual. This design was to achieve a specific purpose of building the high level left bank canal with a discharge of 15,000 cusecs. Excerpt on TOR quoted at the end of this report.

WAPDA’s restricted mid-level sluicing design will cause huge and rapid deposition of silt upstream of the Attock gorge, severe backwater flow, and flooding, in Peshawar valley. The floodwater will inundate Nowshera town, and other vast areas. The entire area will become calamity hit area.

 It may be noted that during the 2010 floods when there was no dam at Kalabagh, all area around Nowshera was inundated up to 12 to 14 feet floodwater, flowing over the GT Road opposite to Nowshera Town. What will happen after the dam?

The dependable power generation from Kalabagh Dam, after reducing its height from 925 feet to 915 feet, is about 1250MW and not 3450 MW as claimed by WAPDA. Kalabagh Dam will be on run-of-the-river for about more than three months in a year to pass floodwater. One month will be spent in empting and filling the reservoir. Therefore there will be no power generation during this period.

Surprisingly, to support the low hydropower generation, WAPDA has instructed the consultants to install 2000 MW of Thermal Power Plant attached to Kalabagh Dam. WAPDA falsely claim that KBD will produce 3450 MW of power. Besides this, there are many other flaws.

The Kalabagh Dam site is not for a high dam due to weak foundation, therefore the Project Consultant  have recommended that the hydraulic head of the structure at this site should not be higher than 160 feet due to weak foundation, whereas, WAPDA is building 260 feet high dam at Kalabagh. Refer to Volume XIII Miscellaneous, July 1988, the report by Prof Skemton and Mr Little, the consultants for Kalabagh Dam.

The risk is taken because WAPDA wants to take off a high level canal with a discharge of 15,000 cusecs on the left bank of the Indus River. This is the reason that Sindh has lost trust in WAPDA and objects to Kalabagh Dam.

WAPDA is not at all trust worthy because it kept the design of Kalabagh Dam secret from NWFP as stated by the then Member Water Mr Shams ul Mulk in a meeting held at Peshawar with the Additional Chief Secretary Development (Mr Khalid Azia) who demanded a copy of the Kalabagh Dam feasibility report for study. The Additional Chief Secretary was surprised to hear the answer of Member Water who refused to give a copy of the report as it was a secret document/classified document. The ACS said: how is it that you are building a dam in our territory and the design is kept secret from NWFP? Member Water could no longer refuse and gave a set of the Kalabagh Dam feasibility report.

Besides this, WAPDA provided freak design of 50 days restricted mid-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure in a freak TOR that will not evacuate silt and cause severe backwater flow and flooding in Kabul River in Peshawar valley. This design was adopted to build a dam with a height of 260 feet to be able to build Left Bank Canal.

For more information on Kalabagh Dam and on water development resources, please refer to my website “ fatehuk. blogspot. Com”. The website contains about 100 articles, on Water and power issues of Pakistan and their solutions. The website is visited by about 8500 Research workers and Engineers throughout the world. Also refer to articles on Substitute for KBD, on Kalabagh Dam, and on Water and Power Destructive Authority, Katzarah Dam, Guroh Dop Dam, Akhori Dam and many other dams, besides suggesting many water and power projects

I am 86 years old, and recently unable to walk due to knee joints problem. I therefore cannot attend the court. In case, my advice is needed, I would suggest, the court may appoint  a commission  to record my views at my residence. My address is: 518, F-10/2, Margalla Rosd,  Islamabad. My line No is 051-2106387 and my mobile is : 0300-5920641. My email address Is  Fatehuk @ gmail. com.

I submit to the honorable Court few excerpts from the Kalabagh Dam project report indicating serious silt problem due to unsuitable hydraulic design because Kalabagh is not the site for a dam but for a barrage. The consultants have also indicated this in technical language in the excerpt immediately below, shown in bold besides other excerpts quoted below:-

·       “In Principle there is no specific mode of operation that must be adhered each year in order to sluice sediment from KBD, but the lower the draw down level, the longer this level is maintained and the higher the flows then the more effective the sluicing will be”. Refer to KBD project report page 3.8, para3.27. (This quotation in technical language suggests low level sluicing hydraulic structure like a barrage with unrestricted low level silt sluicing structure. The consultant could not over look the rigid TOR. Therefore they expressed their views in technical language. Let WAPDA understand it. )

·       “The high sediment load carried by the Indus at Kalabagh has an important bearing on the design of KBD and on the operation rules for the reservoir. If a high proportion of sediment is trapped the storage volume would rapidly reduce with the loss of irrigation benefits derived from storage. Such sedimentation could eventually also cause unacceptable backwater effects”. Refer to Project Report 1988, page 3.5, para 3.17.

·        This excerpt shows that silt evacuation depends on the design of the dam as it has an important bearing on the design of Kalabagh Dam.

·       “However although draw down is required for irrigation benefits, the lower the draw down level and the longer the sluicing period, the greater is the loss of power and energy generation”. Refer to Project report 1988, page 3.8, para 3.27     

“Upstream of Attock the flood levels are sensitive to the amount of sediment so that flood level will increase with time”. 

·       The future distribution of sediment can be predicted in general terms only and local behavior will depend on actual sediment inflows, reservoir operation and local flow pattern”.

·       “No immediate solution to sediment management seems to be practically viable”.

·       “In the long run the generation of power will be on run-of-the-river”.

Refer to project report para 3.17, page 4.12, para 4.57, page 3.9, para 3.31.

Tailored TOR

“Basically the design criteria were set during the initial appraisal of scheme and development out line design. These were based on the requirements of the client through the Terms of Reference or subsequent instructions”. Refer to Project Volume N, Appendix N.

IRSA rejected the hydraulic design of restricted mid-level silt sluicing of Kalabagh Dam on 22.10. 1996 with 4:1 majority as the design would not evacuate silt. Refer to The Frontier Post. The consultants recommended “50 days restricted low-level silt sluicing structure”.

“Mr Yuki Tanabe, a representative of Japan Centre of Sustainable Society has termed the proposed Kalabagh Dam disastrous for people, agriculture, and environment. Refer to DAWN datd September, 2006”.

W APDA overlooked all above.

Recommendations

The proposed “Raised Fateh Barrage” is a trouble free, short term, cheap, technically sound, and a multipurpose, non-controversial and unique substitute for KBD. It is a highly improved and flawless version of Kalabagh Dam nearly at the same location. It will use all technical deta collected for Kalabagh Dam. The KBD colony at site will be used. Dispute and political controversy will end. It will evacuate silt and pass maximum floods. It will cause no backwater flow and flooding in Peshawar valley. It needs no land acquisition, no land compensation and almost no population displacement because the storage will be within the waterway. It generates hydropower and creates storage from 3.4 maf to 6.2 maf.

The consultants should work out which storage is the best and economical. It will mitigate floods and serve as Balancing Reservoir. This project will give breathing time for undertaking other mega storage dams on the Indus. Let WAPDA EGO allow this unique, substitute project, and appreciate it in national interest. This is to end sufferings of the people created by WAPDA.

   

Engr. Fateh ullah Khan  Gandapur, Former Chairman IRSA.           Dated Aug, 9, 2012.

B.Sc Engg’, ist Division, (Distinction in Dams and Reservoir Engineering), M.ASCE (USA), FIE (Pak)

518, F-10/2, Margalla Road, Islamabad.  Mobile  0300-5920641  and  051-2106387.

Copy to:

              The Secretary Water and Power, Islamabad

              Chairman Indus River System Authority, Islamabad

              The Chief Minister of KPK, Chief Minister House, PESHAWAR

              Chief Minister Government of Sindh, KARACHI

              Chief Minister of Government of Punjab, LAHORE

              Chief Minister of Baluchistan, QUETTA   For information and further action      

              

Water and Power Destructive Authority

Water and Power development Authority turned Water and Power Destructive Authority. This is because the Water and Power Destructive Authority has showered rain of miseries on 180 million people of Pakistan due to its inefficiency, incapability, stubbornness, lack of initiative and deep involvement in politics of “Kalabagh Dam or no Dam”. Besides this, it failed to warn Government in time, and failed to foresee water and power requirements of the growing population. The whole country is on fire due to 18 to 20 hours of crippling load shedding (never heard before). Moreover, it failed to control floods and silt. Police shot two people dead while demonstrating against load shedding.

The development of water and power for agriculture, industries and business, means prosperity and peace in Pakistan. If this is not provided, un-ending terrorism will prevail and spread, as terrorism will become lucrative source of living. People due to poverty are selling their children and committing suicide. Therefore develop water and power resources at once as article 38 of the constitution requires. 

For no dams on the Indus in a period 47 years, about 22 per cent of Pakistan most fertile and populated area destroyed by the historic and destructive floods of 2010 and by the devastating rains of 2011, destroying Sindh due to disappearance of the natural drainage system by unchecked encroachments. Sindh has become the drainage bowl where flood and rain water stagnates for years. Sindh must demand dams on the main Indus to control floods. The infeasible and superseded Akhori Dam proposed by WAPDA as substitute for Kalabagh is not the solution. Go for direct reservoirs on the main Indus to control floods and silt, and to generate hydropower and store water going waste to sea.

This year the alarming water shortage is 9.2 maf as reported by IRSA. Please see The News dated August 4, 2012.  This colossal shortage is very alarming as I fear the irrigation system may not become non-perennial or seasonal within the next 20 years if dams are not built immediately. The solution lies only in building the unique 35 maf Katzarah Dam and not the indirect and superseded Akhori Dam.

Severe load shedding caused rioting in every city of Pakistan. This is shameful. People have gone psychic. Business of all types suffered to the roots. Industries are closed. People have gone out of job. students, children, Doctors, house wives, tailors and all small technicians suffered heavily. Patient’s sickness lying in hospitals increased. Pakistan lost $3 billion in 3 years due to energy crisis reports the Daily Observer. These are the grounds for terrorism to continue.

Due to the absence of multipurpose Dams on the main Indus for the last 37 years and another 10 years for Basha to be completed, 47 years in all, Pakistan is destroyed economically and physically by floods of 2010, rains of 2011 and the unending crippling load shedding by the so-called Water and Power Development Authority. Over and above, water shortage reached to 9.2 maf. This will create food problem. Water and Power Destructive Authority was still stubbornly sticking to the motto of “Kalabagh Dam or no Dam” even after destroying the country economically and physically. No one worries. No one feels responsible. For all these miseries, WAPDA is responsible if water and power not developed and peace is not restored and source of living is not created.

I have given a unique substitute for Kalabagh Dam nearly at the very same location in the Indus River valley, with changed hydraulic design to evacuate silt. The substitute for KBD is the  “Raised Fateh barrage” but the destructive Authority wants nothing but Kalabagh Dam that has become part of DNA of WAPDA engineers. WAPDA has a problem of ego if someone gives good suggestions as they feel small after keeping hoards consultants and advisors.

The floods of 2010 dislocated about 8 million people of Sindh beside the people of Punjab, NWFP and Baluchistan. The 2010 floods caused 2856 breaches in the Indus Bunds and canal system. Floods damaged 2300 Km of roads. About 2000 people died in floods as there was no dam on the Indus. WAPDA forgets this terrible dislocation of population but cares most for the small dislocation of population by the unique, 35 maf Katzarah Dam which it opposes on the grounds of dislocation of population.

Now watch the headlines of the country’s top Daily Newspapers what the people say on water and power shortage:

·       Planning Commission warns of a Water crisis. (The News June 30, 2012)

·       Punjab power outages spark violent protests, as Electricity short fall rising to 8500 MW (Observer 18 June 2012 and the Daily Azkar).

·       Power riots turn violent in Punjab, 20 hours shortage (Observer June 19, 2012)

·       Disorder in Punjab, as riots rage. Train set on fire (Dawn June 19, 2012)

·       Power shortage to worsen in future. (The News (30.5.2012)

·       Pakistan lost $18 billion due to energy crisis in 3 years. (Observer August 1,2012)

·       105 maf water wasted last year. (Sept 22, 2011)

·       Dams vital to save Sindh from flooding. (The News)

·       Punjab foresees Rabi water crises. (Sept 29, 2011)

·       Energy crisis leading to destruction. Ansari. (Observer. August 2, 2012)

·       US Senate report cautions against Water War in South Asia. (Dawn, 22.6. 2011)

·       US Intelligence sees global water conflict risk rising.(News 28.3.2012)

·       Water War warning. (News 23.2.2012)

·       Water issue could sweep away Indo-Pakistan peace process.( News 25.4.2012)

·       Global famine if India Pakistan un-leash nukes: Study. (Dawn 25.4.2012 and Observer).

·       India to help Afghanistan build 12 dams on Kabul River. News (12.5. 2011)

·    How can peace be achieved when chances of nuclear water war is feared.

·    Forcible occupation of Kashmir by India is the potential source of nuclear water war as all Pakistani Rivers originate from Kashmir. India has built more than 32 hydraulic structures on Pakistani Rivers, including big dams, reports Senator John Kerry to US Senate: The excerpt is “India has acquired the ability to store enough water to limit the supply of water to Pakistan at critical moment in the growing season”. Senator John Kerry reports to US Senate fearing water war between India and Pakistan.

·    The whole problem is created by the wrong partition of India as the hydrologic unit from where Pakistani Rivers originate and the canal head works have gone to India. This is a great sore point, a potential source of conflict. UN must enforce the 62 years old referendum in occupied Kashmir to ensure peace in the region.

Water and Power Destructive Authority’s shameful mega projects failures brought to Government notice for action to avoid further losses in future

·       Kachi Canal alignment from Mithan Kot badly failed to irrigate lands due to wrong planning by WAPDA. It was abandoned on the quiet after causing loss of billions of rupees. Government took no action.

·       To control Salinity, evacuate injurious salts out of the area, reclaim land, and maintain salt and water balance in the soil, drainage project by the name of SCARP was prepared by WAPDA with a wrong concept of drainage through tube wells, ignoring the correct drainage through surface and sub-service tile drainage to evacuate and control salinity out of the area. This was planned because the Destructive Authority did not know the correct definition of drainage. This resulted in billions of losses in Dollars. This was also abandoned on the quiet.

·       Again, another mega drainage project was planned by the name of National Drainage Programme, NDP to control and evacuate salinity. This too failed resulting in billions of dollars losses.   

·       After the failure of the two mega drainage projects to control and evacuate salinity out of the area and after incurring losses in billions of Dollars, the Destructive Authority finally abandoned the drainage schemes, the vital component of irrigation as a bad job. WAPDA never knew the correct solutions to the salinity problem. The correct and established method to control and remove salinity out of the area is to provide sub-surface tile drainage and not the tube wells that circulate groundwater drainage effluent. The world’s largest irrigation system is now without drainage system. The Indus basin irrigation system is subjected to sever salinity and sodicity.

·       One million small tube wells installed in the Indus basin are pumping indiscriminately about 45 maf of injurious saline drainage effluent from the ground as groundwater, injecting about 350 million tons of salts in the soil. The one million small tube wells are functioning as anti-drainage system circulating salinity. The Indus basin will almost lose fertility gradually and invisibly in a period of about 40 years If sub-surface tile drainage is not provided as early as possible.

·       WAPDA run by hired persons and headed by non professional Chairman is ignorant, and helpless to handle these serious matters.

·       The dam site for Kalabagh Project at the end of the Indus River is absolutely wrong as it receives about 540 million tons of silt from a catchment area of 110500 squire miles. Converting this silt in maf, it comes to about 0.3 maf per annum. This will create terrible silt problem and backwater flow in Kabul River. Surprisingly, under a wrong and tailored TOR, WAPDA directed the project consultants to provide 50 days restricted mid-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure to evacuate silt that is not possible because of wrong design to evacuate silt. The consultants therefore suggested 100 day low-level silt sluicing hydraulic structure to evacuate silt.

·       WAPDA refused to adopt the consultants design. Besides this, Kalabagh became highly controversial politically as WAPDA officials created terror in Nowshera that floodwater level will rise by few feet and the houses will be inundated up to certain level. WAPDA marked the walls of the houses in Nowshera. Thus, the destructive authority created fear besides technical controversy and political controversy. This controversy is stretched to 37 years and counting Basha completion of 10 years to 47 years. There will be no dam on the Indus for 47 years. This means, problems of water and hydropower, problems of rapid silting and devastating floods will continue unabated. This has already resulted in floods of 2010, rains of 2011 and the unending crippling load shedding causing billions of $ losses. Water shortage this year has touched 9.2 maf, almost equal to the combined storage of Kalabagh and Basha Dams. While planning the Kalabagh dam at the end of the valley, the capacity-inflow ratio at the site was ignored that is the poorest in the world. This indicated the site is not suitable even for a short-lived dam.

·       Not only this, the destructive Authority has now proposed a rejected and superseded project of Akhori Dam. Akhori was rejected by Dr Pieter Lieftnick Head of the world Bank team with a height of 250 feet in 1968. The destructive Authority revised Akhori Project by raising its height from 250 feet to 420 feet. WAPDA avoids building a dam on the main Indus except Kalabagh. Therefore, the highly problematic and infeasible off-channel storage at Akhori is selected for the next dam after Tarbela, ignoring the main 35 maf storage dam at Katzarah. The present water shortage of 9.2 maf is ignored by WAPDA.

The IRSA Act indicates that the Chairman WAPDA is ex-officio Member IRSA with no power to vote. This shows the Chairman must be an irrigation expert, engineer to actively participate and contribute. Contrary to this, WAPDA Chairman is non-professional political man who never attends the meetings. Similarly, Member Water is always found disinterested and inert person. He too has never attended IRSA meetings. The so called Water and Power Development Authority is represented by a retired irrigation engineer appointed as consultant and Advisor.

The professional value of WAPDA confines to the knowledge of the retired engineers who are directed to follow the directions of the boss. WAPDA has no professional capability as retired engineers are appointed as Advisor and consultant to run the organization. The Authority created dark and doom-like conditions. This will prevail for about 20 years till multipurpose dams on the Indus and Punjkora River are built. At the same times, coal discovered in the country must be used to generate power. I foresee floods this year and in the coming years.

All previous Governments seem to be blind for not taking action on the failure of WAPDA for not preventing 2010 floods and 2011 rain losses besides other failures of mega projects. WAPDA simply stuck to “Kalabagh Dam or no dam”. These calamities and losses could easily be avoided if dams were built in time on the Indus River. I am surprised how these doubtful projects are approved by the ECNEC? The ECNEC also share responsibility. 

I recommend, WAPDA head quarter be shifted to Islamabad, like of IRSA, to jointly implement storage based Water Accord. IRSA has demanded 22 maf of storage. The infeasible Akhori is not capable to meet 22 maf of IRSA water requirements whereas, The 35 maf Katzarah alone meets this requirement. Please see my blog on Water issues and their solutions. (fatehuk.blogspot.com). My blog contains about 100 articles on water issues that is visited by about 8500 engineers and researchers throughout the world.

Engr Fateh ullah Khan Gandapur.                                                                 August 5, 2012

Former Chairman IRSA. B,Sc Engg: first Division. (Distinction in Dams and Reservoirs), M.ASCE (USA), FIE (Pak).  518,F/10-2, Margalla Road Islamabad. Mobile  0300-5920641,  051-2106387

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-floods 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 Fateh 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 Fateh 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 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 almost no land acquisition, no land compensation and no population displacement is involved by the storage created. The storage reservoir will occupy no-man-land within the reservoir.

Another unique feature is that it is problems free, has more aggregate storage by repeated filling of reservoir than Kalabagh Dam, more power generation capability, and needs no thermal power support of 2000 MW as required for 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 7000 MW. The Pakistan observer dated 29 July, 2012, reports that “Pakistan lost $18 billion due to energy crises in the last three years”. How to meet this national crisis as Government and its concerned machinery are still fast asleep as the faulty projects of KBD and Akhori Dam proposed by WAPDA show, especially when the unique multipurpose projects of 35 maf Katzarah Dam, 8.5 maf of Guroh Dop Dam, Raised Fateh Barrage and Mirkhani Dam as proposed by me since 1990-91 are rejected by WAPDA and the so called its advisors. Water and Power development should be free of dirty politics creating infighting.   

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 Fateh 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 50 days restricted mid-level silt sluicing design suggested by WAPDA, as silt deposited upstream of Attock gorge would not be evacuated and that would cause backwater flow in Peshawar valley.

I first gave this suggestion for the raised Fateh 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 at elevation 860. The reservoir full supply level at El 860 will be within the valley few miles on the downstream of Attock gorge. At El 880 feet the storage is 4.4 maf with in the valley. At El: 900, the storage is about 6 maf extending up to Attock Gorge. Please refer to Kalabagh Dam capacity curve. Fix economical storage as desired. The storage gives no obstruction to free flood flow to eveacuate silt. The Indus River annual run-off at the site of barrage is about 90 maf. The reservoir could repeatedly be filled.

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. NWFP may irrigate Laki Marwat area. 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 if built up to El 860. Storage between elevation700 to 800 feet of about 1.17 maf, is dead storage, and between 800 to 860 is all time 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, that is in NWFP and Punjab both.

The project will be a unique water regulating and water distributing pivotal structure for IRSA. The cost of the project would be about $ 2.5 to 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, Raised Fateh Barrage 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 which the country suffered unending load shedding, and flood devastation of 22% of Pakistan.

Warning: Because the Raised Fateh Barrage project is unique and feasible, therefore WAPDA would definitely avoid it, to go for Akhori-another off-channel controversial and infeasible project, ignoring multipurpose projects on the main Indus.

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

Another benefit from the raised Fateh 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.

Engr. Fateh Ullah Khan Gandapur

B.Sc. Engg; (Distinction in Dams & Reservoir Engineering)

M.ASCE (USA) FIE (Pak)     Former Chairman IRSA

Author of 2 books on science and Quran.     1. God, Universe & Man; The Holy Quran & The Hereafter

 2. God Created The Universe With The Purpose To Server Human Kind

Address:    H# 30-H2, Main Road, Phase-2, Hayatabad, Peshawar-PAKISTAN   Tel: +92  91  582  4918   Mob: +92  300  592  0641

Email:   (fatehuk@gmail.com) ( website    fatehuk.blogspot.com)                           

     

Copy to;

Secretary Water and Power, Islamabad

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Planning Division, Islamabad

Chairman Indus River System Authority IRSA, Islamabad

Minister for Water and Power, Islamabad. Deputy Chairman Planning Planning Commission 

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 is a crime against the nation.  Adding another 10 years delay for Basha Dam completion will further aggraravate agonies. 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, and 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), 38 (a) to (d).

Sanjwal-Akhori Dam site

There is a general trend by WAPDA to select dam sites at random without caring for Capacity-inflow ratio to have long life span, unlike the Kalabagh Dam. WAPDA selects dam sites on political grounds that becomes controversial besides problematic. After committing blunders, WAPDA sticks to it, creating status quo indefinitely like as of Kalabagh. A dam site on a river should be given priority that should have multipurpose functions with long life span. Each dam on the upstream of a river supports the dam on the downstream by prolonging its life span besides producing hydropower, controlling floods and silt, and help proper development.  

WAPDA selects faulty dam sites, ignoring their multipurpose merits, like in case of Akhori, the indirect reservoir off the natural channel. Akhori is almost single purpose off-channel storage dam. This shows WAPDA has no vision to find dam sites on the mighty Indus. Therefore the country is deprived of many functions of direct reservoir. Indirect Reservoir has no silt control function. Indirect reservoir is unable to mitigate floods like the direct reservoir. Basically Akhori is not a power project. It’s a water project. We direly need multipurpose power project to remove crippling load shedding and control flood. There is therefore dire need of direct storage dams on the Indus like the 35 maf unique Katzarah Dam followed by Raised Fateh Barrage as the genuine substitute for Kakabagh Dam.

Please note, there are no dam sites on Kabul River, Jehlum River and Chenab River. Indus is the only river that is the life line of Pakistan and the 35 maf Katzarah Dam is the key to all of Water, Power, Silt, and Floods problems. Indus River multipurpose potentials must be given top priority by its early construction to remove shortage of power, and water, besides controlling crippling load shedding and flood havoc as of 2010 and control silt. Pakistan is hard hit by climate change. Indirect reservoirs should be given the last priority if found feasible. I warn of floods like of 2010. Floods will visit again and again as climate change is severe and unpredictable.

WAPDA may note that Dr Pieter Lieftnic Head of the World Bank Team in his report in three volumes “Water and Power Resources of West Pakistan” volume I page 269 and 292, rejected Akhori Dam due to serious foundation problems and, other considerations. As such, Akhori Dam was superseded by Gariala Dam.

Akhori Dam was proposed on Haro River, with a height of 250 feet, creating a gross storage of 3.6 maf, and live storage of 3.3 maf. This was proposed fearing that Tarbela Reservoir will silt up soon as it has poor capacity-inflow ratio. The length of Akhori Dam would be 15,800 feet. Dr Pieter Lieftnick report Volume I, page 269 states that “inordinate amount of earth moving would be involved and that serious foundation problems would be encountered at each site”. Cut-off grouting would be required along the axis of Sanjwal Dam, the embankment of which would be 12.5 miles long and extensive treatment would be required at Akhori. In view of this and other considerations, Akhori project was deemed less favorable than Gariala”, page 269. Dr Lieftnick report says, “Akhori is superseded by Gariala”.(Page 292).

 In spite of all these serious faults WAPDA selects the next dam at Akhori with a height of 420 feet against the original height of 250 feet to bring early doom of water and power- a blow that an enemy will not inflict.

Ignoring all these serious drawbacks WAPDA is going ahead with Akhori Dam with a raised height of 420 feet against 250 feet. This shows political influence. Sindh will not agree to Akhori Dam, specially for its location in Punjab in view of mistrust already prevailing. Besides this, water diversion for Akhori Dam and water diversion for Ghazi Barotha Channel will render Indus River reach from Ghazi Barotha to Attock absolutely dry. The people on the downstream will seriously suffer. River water rights cannot be denied to the area of NWFP by diverting the river flow in this reach.

Dr Pieter Lieftnick report pages 265 and 266 reports that,

“In recognition of high rate of depletion of storage capacity at Tarbela, various proposals have been put forward by the Pakistan authorities for auxiliary (side-valley storage) reservoirs on the Haro and Soan Rivers which would be filled by the diversion of the Indus water through canals from the Siren Arm of Tarbela Reservoir. A study of the proposal, however, suggests that the cost of dams considered in connection with the cost of conveyance canals, would make construction of side-valley storage project as expensive, than as reservoirs on the main stem of the Indus”.

 This means that only the cost of conveyance of water system will be equal to the cost of dam. The raised Akhori Dam will cost three times more than a dam on the main stem of the Indus River besides many other complications. Dr Lieftnick reports:   

“For any such undertaking, Tarbela would have to be built to elevation 1565 feet in order to facilitate the transference of water across the divide. Also because diversion would be possible only when Tarbela Reservoir might be full or nearly full, it would be necessary to fill Tarbela as soon as possible each flood season.” page  266. Will rise in elevation of Tarbela by 15 feet will be possible? Raising by 15 feet will submerge vast area.

 “A canal with a capacity of 76000 cusecs with ancillary structures including dams, siphons, aqueducts, bridges and culverts would be constructed from the Siren Arm of Tarbela Reservoir to Jabba Kas River, a tributary of Haro River for storage at Sanjwal Akhori site” page 266. “The operation of the conveyance would be complicated by the fact that it will be empty for some nine months in each year. Maintenance cost would particularly be heavy”. Page 268.

 Moreover, Akhori is single purpose storage dam with almost no power or nominal power component to generate electricity. There is dire need for hydropower, therefore multipurpose dams producing hydropower should first be built on the main stem of the Indus River rather indulging in complicated, single purpose storage dams on side-valley. There is news in today’s paper, dated 29^th June, 2011 wherein WAPDA chairman said that load shedding would continue till 2018 and that power demand by the year 2030 would be 130,000 MW.

I believe, load shedding would continue till Katzarah Dam, Basha Dam, Raised Fateh Barrage, Guroh Dop Dam and Mirkhani dams are built. Bunji Dam and Dasu Dams are also vital. It is senseless to propose off channel Akhori and call it alternative to Kalabagh. The alternative to Kalabagh is Raised Fateh Barrage on the Indus. The present shortage of power is a backlog of the past 46 years for not building any multipurpose dam. The concerned authorities were busy in Kalabagh controversy, therefore status quo in dam construction prevailed for (36+10)=46 years. This resulted in water shortage, crippling load shedding and devastating floods of 2010. Now Akhori will replace Kalabagh in controversy.

It is surprising no one critically studied the Kalabagh consultants report for its infeasible hydraulic design of 50 days restricted mid-level silt sluicing to evacuate silt. KBD consultants recommended 100 days unrestricted low level silt sluicing. Exactly is the case of Akhori Dam, as no one studied Dr Pieter Lieftnick report, who rejected Akhori Dam due to serious foundation problem.  Refer to The Water and Power Resources of West Pakistan.             

It is shocking to know that Dr Pieter Lieftnick rejected Akhori Dam on sound technical grounds even then WAPDA appointed local consultant to prepare a fresh feasibility report for a greater height of Akhori Dam to store more water and generate little power. The new proposal for Akhori is that the height of the dam is raised from 250 feet to 420 feet, to create 7.0 maf of storage reservoir in place of 3.6 maf. The length of the dam with high embankments would increase to 25,000 feet.

To fill the originally proposed reservoir of 3.6 maf, a canal with 76000 cusecs was required. It is surprising to note that Akhori Dam that is infeasible due to serious foundation problems for a height of 250 feet, how can it be feasible for a height of 420 feet, to create 7.0 maf storage? The new proposal will require a conveyance canal with a discharge of 150,000 cusecs to fill it. Will that much water be possible to divert in two to three months time? Will a channel virtually equivalent to a river waterway be possible to built to convey water? What would be the consequences of such diversion on Ghazi-Barotha Power generation, and on the water rights of the downstream people in NWFP? The cost of project would be unbearable. The channel would remain dry for 9 to 10 months a year with heavy maintenance cost.

Akhori will follow the example of failures of first Kachi canal, drainage projects of SCARPs, NDP, and selecting controversial project of KBD.  

I believe, it may not be possible to fill the reservoir of 7.0 maf storage capacity during the monsoon. Moreover, elevation of 1565 feet for the diversion of water may not be able to maintain for three continuous months of monsoon period.

The construction of single purpose side-valley reservoirs should be the last option when all the direct reservoirs on the Indus are silt up. First, direct reservoirs should be built as they are multipurpose, cheap and easy to build. When all direct storage sites are exhausted, then consider the side-valley storage. The side-valley reservoirs are three to four times more costly than direct reservoirs. Moreover, side-valley projects are problematic. 

The most difficult and alarming aspect of side-valley storage is a condition that Tarbela reservoir should be raised by 15 feet (1550+15) = 1565 feet for the transference of water It is yet to be examined, if it is technically, and environmentally feasible to raise the height of Tarbela Dam by 15 feet. Moreover, the consequences of raised Tarbela Dam shall have to be examined, how much area is going to be submerged under the raised reservoir? How many people would be displaced? The cost of compensation may be worked out. The raising of Tarbela Dam is yet another technical hurdle of the side-valley storage besides its cost.      

Copy to,

Secretary Water and Power, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad

It is requested that WAPDA may be asked if they have read Dr Peter Lieftnick report on Akhori Dam that it is superseded by Gariala Dam and that Akhori has serious foundation problems. Moreover, it requires raising the height of Tarbela Dam by 15 feet to elevation 1565 feet for the diversion of water from Tarbela Reservoir to fill Akhori. Will it be possible to raise the height of Tarbela Dam? How much area will it inundate? Will it be possible to build a dam with a height 420 feet when foundation for a dam with 250 encounters serious foundation problems? Has WAPDA studied the effects of diversion of about 150,000 cusecs of water on power generation of Tarbela Dam and Ghazi Barotha power channel? Will it be possible to constantly maintain elevation of about 1565? Akhori is a single purpose dam. We need multipurpose dam to generate hydropower.

Please arrange study of the adverse effects of single purpose Akhori Dam that suffers from many problems as reported by Dr Pieter Lieftnic Head of the World Bank Team to Pakistan who investigated dam sites and other water and power developments schemes. Pakistan cannot afford to build infeasible and controversial dams and waste time. Multipurpose dams must be planned on technical merits to have long life span, control floods and silt and generate power.

Chairman IRSA Government of Pakistan. The authority is created for regulating and monitoring the distribution of water resources of the Indus River and to provide for matters connected therewith and ancillary thereto. IRSA has to play the role of a monitor for monitoring the water resources in selecting long life storage dam sites, as it is a connected and ancillary matter. This is what the IRSA Act Preamble reveals.

Pakistan is woefully unprepared for new floods. The 2010 devastating floods can be repeated any time and many times. I therefore suggest building of the 35-maf multipurpose Katzarah dam as Katzarah will control floods in the Indus, and the 8.5 maf multipurpose dam at Guroh Dop on Panjkora River to control floods in Kabul River. There is no remedy to control floods other than the combination of the two dams as proposed. Akhori is out of line and irrelevant under this situation.

The real alternative to Kalabagh Dam is the Raised Fateh Barrage as already suggested by me and not Akhori Dam rejected by Dr Pieter Leiftnic Head of the World Bank Team specially appointed to identify and investigate dams sites indicating their pre-feasibilities besides Water Resources Development Schemes.  .

Water Development in Pakistan suffered heavily due to Geopolitics

Water development in Pakistan suffered heavily due to Kalabagh Dam controversy, provincial water disputes between Sindh and Punjab for the last about 70 years, and due to water dispute with India for the wrong partition of India and the forcible occupation of Kashmir where the origin of all rivers originate.  The provincial water dispute was settled in 1991 under the IRSA Act in the shape of Water Accord Agreement between the provinces. To implement Water Accord, Indus River System Authority IRSA was created in 1993. Water Accord para 13 states that IRSA is created to implement Water Accord.

Surprisingly, no financial and administrative powers were given to IRSA to implement Water Accord, meet water requirements of paras 2, 4, 6, by creating 22 maf storage dams and to carry out Integrated Comprehensive Water Management (ICWM) to implement para 14(e) to avoid all wastage of water. The ICWM will save 40 maf to 50 maf wastage of water in the highly wasteful, incompatible and obsolete canal irrigation system that is 150 years old.  The result is that water dispute between the provinces continued in spite of the Water Accord due to continued shortage of water for no dams. WAPDA has created no storage since the completion of Tarbela Dam Reservoir in 1974.  

Due to Kalabagh Dam controversy, WAPDA created status quo and built no storage dam for the last 38 years. Basha will take another 10 years if funds are available. Basha feasibility was established in 1981, even then Basha was not built. This means no dam for the last 48 years on the Indus due to the obstinacy of WAPDA.

The dispute on Kalabagh Dam is due to political controversy, and technical controversy between WAPDA and the project consultant. Project consultant did not agree with the hydraulic design dictated by WAPDA under the tailored TOR to provide 50 days restricted mid-level silt sluicing hydraulic design. The consultant recommended to provide 100 days un-restricted low-level silt sluicing hydraulic design to evacuate silt out of the reservoir. WAPDA design gives very short life span due to heavy and rapid silting. Silt flow at Kalabagh Dam site from a catchment area of 110,500 squire miles is about 540 million tons equivalent to 0.3 maf. Moreover, the dam site selected at the end of the Indus valley is wrong as capacity inflow ratio at Kalabagh Dam site is the poorest in the world. It is 6:93 besides many other reasons and some more technical flaws given in my blog.

WAPDA gave tailored TOR to the consultants. Such TOR imposed on consultant was not found feasible. The KBD consultants gave technically very safe hydraulic design to evacuate silt but WAPDA disagreed and wanted to impose its own hydraulic design. WAPDA hydraulic design will not evacuate silt out of the reservoir. Rapid silt will be deposited upstream of the Attock gorge that would cause severe backwater flow in Kabul River that will cause,  flooding of Nowshera city and Peshawar valley.

The ugly KBD controversy continued for 48 years. Even now WAPDA is adamant to build another dam and resists not to consider other unique and multipurpose dams, like the 35 maf Katzarah Dam, the 8.5 maf multipurpose Guroh Dop Dam and even the unique substitute for Kalabagh Dam, in the form of 4.4 maf Raised Fateh barrage, replacing Kalabagh Dam.  The dam-cum-raised Fateh barrage was initiated by me and suggested to the Government in 1994 when I was Chairman IRSA. No one cared. Even now KBD controversy is as severe as before.

The result of disputes, controversy for 37 years on dams and the prevailing lunacy resulted in the devastation of 22 per cent of Pakistan most developed area by the historic floods of 2010, causing losses worth billions of dollars and the crippling load shedding of worst type rendering more than 70 % industries idle. Economic life in Pakistan ceased, causing billions of dollars loss. People are on the verge of revolt. The Water Accord is continuously un-implemented. The miseries will only end if four dams proposed by me are built. For all these matters please refer to my blog titled fatehuk.blogspot.com

There is yet another water dispute between India and Pakistan created after the wrong partition of India. This is because the hydrologic unit of Kashmir, from where all Pakistani rivers originate is forcibly occupied by India. The Indus Waters Treaty between Pakistan and India was executed in 1960. Under this Treaty, Pakistan surrendered perennial water to India that was irrigating vast area in East Punjab of Pakistan. This is because canal Head works on the three Eastern rivers, Ravi, Sujles,and Bias went to India. In replacement to the perennial water surrendered to India, Pakistan was given time-based storage water (non-perennial) by building Tarbala Dam, Mangla Dam and network of link canals transferring water of one river to the next to feed the area of East Punjab of Pakistan deprived of its centuries old water rights. Water dispute is created with India due to wrong partition of India.

 While implementing the IWT, during the period of 37 years Tarbela Dam and Mangla Dam are silted up by 6.5 maf. This rendered the Indus Waters Treaty inefficacious as replacement storage at Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs to feed Eastern area of Pakistan is lost to silting of the reservoirs. Storage is the basic and integral component of the Indus Waters Treaty. The question is, Who will replenish the lost storage? This issue is disputable. It needs settlement.

Beside the above, India is allowed to create hydropower on run-of-the-river on our rivers, namely the Indus, Jehlum and Chenab Rivers. India has mis-used this facility by building 56 hydropower projects including mega dams on our rivers. By doing so, India played hidden and ill-legal trick by creating more perennial, live storage than as allowed. This live storage water is hidden in the technical terms of Pondage, Pondage level, Operating pool, surcharge storage, and run-of the-river wrongly defined in the Appendix –D of the IWT. This illegal storage is not detected by Pakistan till I pointed out. Under the guise of these definitions more live storage is created by India and India has acquired the ability to limit the supply of water at critical moment in the growing season. This has created fear of war. India is allowed 2.85 maf storage under the Treaty on the Western Rivers. The Government of Pakistan may request India to let Pakistan know, how much live storage India created in the 56 hydraulic structures including mega dams? Commissioner Water revealed in a meeting that India has built 56 hydraulic structure including mega dams whereas Senator John Kerry has mentioned 32.  Please read my several articles in my blog on the IWT.

Surprisingly, this illegal storage created was confirmed indirectly by Senator John Kerry in his report to the US Senate. An excerpt from John Kerry report is;

“India has acquired the ability to store enough water to limit the supply of water to Pakistan at critical moment in the growing season”.

Pakistan Rabi crop requirement is 36 to 38 maf. This will be adversely affected as India has control on it.  The additional live storage has created insecurity of water for our Rabi crop. This is done with the intention to use water as a weapon of mass destruction creating famine, hunger, death and genocide. John Kerry feared Water war (nuclear) that is not in the interest of USA and the whole world. This must be avoided by the UN, and Kashmir should be handed over to Pakistan to avoid the possibility of nuclear war and maintain peace in the region. It is not possible for Pakistan to live without water. Pakistan will not be able to sustain its largest contiguous canal irrigation system in the world. This would create food crisis.

My blog will help research workers as the blog contain about 100 articles on all aspects of water issues and their solutions. Nearly 7700 thousand research workers have visited the blog throughout the world till this date. I believe I am the only water resource engineer in Pakistan, who created such a blog only a year back that help scholars in their research work but Government is not taking its benefit. My blog will serve as guidance as it contains 55 years experience of water issues of Pakistan. All research workers can select articles of their interest out of the 100 articles. All research workers are requested to study articles of their interest in the blog. Many Research workers have requested me to advise them.  

Regarding my professional background, and experience, please find it in my book titled “God created the universe with the purpose to serve humankind”. Write the title of my book and my name (google) , you will get the book on internet revealing similarity and agreement of Quranic verses revealed 1442 years ago with the most modern and established science laws. This book gives details of my professional background and experience in its introduction.

  2. The prestige and efficiency of WAPDA has drastically dropped since 1974 onward. It has become politically dominated organization and is at the lowest ebb of professional efficiency. It abandoned Kachi canal alignment wrongly planned by it, it failed in its mega project of Salinity control and reclamation project known as SCARPto evacuate salinity out of the Indus basin and maintain salt and water balance in the soil. After this failure, WAPDA wrongly conceived and planned National Drainage Programme (NDP). This too failed. Finally, the idea of providing Drainage System is abandoned though Drainage is the integral component of irrigation system. WAPDA made Kalabagh Dam controversial, it delayed dam construction for 48 years that resulted in shortage of water, flood havoc of 2010 and crippling load shedding.

Now WAPDA is trying to make Katzarah Dam, Guroh Dam and Raised Fateh Barrage controversial by informing people, that their area will be submerged by dams. WAPDA is creating fear in the mind of those whose area would be submerged. WAPDA has become inefficient, corrupt, feels no responsibility and has become incapable to conceive, plan and execute mega projects. Chairman WAPDA is not Water Resources Engineer. He is, either  General,  politician or a retired civil bureaucrat. This is strange, and shows political domination. Please, read my various articles in the blog.

3.  I have discussed some points of the Indus Waters Treaty as above. For more see the blog.

4. The Water Accord has not been implemented during the past 20 years as storage is not created. The provincial water disputes continue. There is dire need to implement para 2 of the Water Accord in which 117.35 maf of water is distributed between the provinces whereas, water available to the system is 90 maf to 95 maf.  Moreover, paras 4, 6, and para 14(e) of Water Accord require immediate implementation to meet 22 maf of water required by IRSA to implement Water Accord. In a way, IRSA has not proved successful to end disputes so far, till more storage is created to settle water disputes. This needs financial and administrative powers for IRSA besides close cooperation of WAPDA with IRSA. This needs shifting of WAPDA Head quarter from Lahore to Islamabad and the appointment of experienced Chairman WAPDA. I believe for this reason, the Chairman WAPDA is made ex-officio Member IRSA with no power to vote. Please refer to IRSA Act.

5. During 1994, when I was chairman IRSA, water shortage was the main problem that I faced. I therefore repeatedly suggested the immediate construction of the unique, 35 maf Katzarah Dam, the 8.5 maf, multipurpose Guroh Dam and the 4.4 maf, Raised Fateh Barrage. I discovered 12 mega dams in Pakistan during 1959 to 1961. Fateh Barrage was conceived by me in 1994 to settle water disputes and Kalabagh controversy, but the lunatic controversy on Kalabagh Dam replacing it by the Raised Fateh barrage as its substitute is not considered so far. Please refer to my blog for all these projects. Lack of interest by the Government, by its organizations, and scarcity of fund and no water policy are the reasons for failure to build new dams as suggested by me.

6. No. People are steeling about 16 maf of water from the Indus River indirectly in the river reach from Chashma to Kotri. This is also the cause of shortage of water shortage that creates water dispute. The people have installed unauthorized tube wells near the bank of the Indus River. There is no watch on such theft by the provincial Governments and IRSA as politicians are involved. Refer to my blog. WAPDA telemetry can serve no purpose as this theft from the Indus is indirect, via the groundwater pumping.

7. Kalabagh Dam site was wrongly selected as it has the poorest capacity inflow ratio with short life span. Moreover, WAPDA gave tailored TOR to the Project consultant, imposing a wrong hydraulic design. The KBD consultant did not agree. They suggested a design based on the concept of barrage to  evacuate silt. WAPDA did not agree to the design of consultant. Besides this, the project has become politically controversial due to several other reasons. Please consult my blog for my articles on KBD and on Raised Fateh Barrage. The KBD controversy cost the nation, flood devastation of 2010, crippling load shedding, water shortage and failure to implement Water Accord. I conceived Raised Fateh Barrage, a unique substitute for KBD to settle the mad controversy. For this purpose, I recently held three meetings with the Government of Pakistan and allied professional organizations including WAPDA. Let us hope something good comes out of it. Delay in the construction of dams is criminal as the remaining part of storage in Tarbela and Mangla Reservoirs will soon silt up.“death of the reservoir starts the day it is built”. We cannot afford to waste time as we have already wasted 48 years by not building the second dam on the Indus though we have lost 6.5 maf of storage due to rapid silting. 

8 . No. I cannot suggest who can give such information. For Indus Waters Treaty, the responsible man is the Commissioner Indus Waters based at Lahore. This organization was sleeping all the time since 1960 when India built 56 hydropower projects and is building more. This organization has not pointed out that Tarbela and Mangla Reservoirs are silted by 6.5 maf and requires replenishment.

It has also not pointed out the hidden live storage in the technical terms that are wrongly defined in the Treaty in its Appendix-D. Please see my articles for details. For example, pondage means still water, but  the Treaty defines it as live storage.                             

Engr Fateh ullah Khan  Gandapur                                                      

Former Chairman IRSA.

 Mobile  (0300 5920641), Islamabad line No: (051 2106387),   Peshawar line No: is ( 091 5824918)

Copy to Secretary Water and Power, Government of Pakistan.

 Please refer to your letter No. W1-4(20)/2011 dated May 31,2012. Subject: Articles written by Mr Fateh ullah Khan Gandapur.

 Riaz Ahmad Khan Advisor will be submitting his repot to you after conducting three meetings on these issues held in IRSA Office. I submit this report for your information. I thank you for noticing these issues and directing Riaz Ahmad Khan to hold meetings.    

 It is requested to take suitable action as things are getting worst. Power shortage has created hell, floods have destroyed the country, floods will destroy again and again, water shortage is a great threat to cause famine, silt destroys the storage, water disputes are growing, controversies created by WAPDA have stopped water and hydropower development, food shortage will cause revolt. Everyone is in agony. WAPDA attitude towards the development of water and power remained very poor. WAPDA failed for not building dams on the Indus for a period of 37+1o=47 years itself is a crime, because people suffered due to 2010 floods and the crippling load shedding. I request the Government to take notice of water and power woes.

Copy to Chairman IRSA.

 All these problems are required to be solved with the coordination of IRSA, as control on Indus River water falls under the regulation and distribution of the water of the Indus River system as provided  under the IRSA Act. Moreover, Water Accord paras 2, 4, 6, and 14 (e) requires IRSA to implement these paras. Integrated Comprehensive Water Management is the answer to our water and power issues and to avoid all losses of water as provided in para 14(e) of the Water Accord. WAPDA has failed as it created controversies and a long status quo. Therefore Water Accord could not be implemented.

Copy to Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Government of Pakistan.

Planning Commission is a supreme body consisting of top intelligent individuals in all fields. I request them to help by bringing these devastating issues to the personal notice of the President and the Prime Minister who are in dark.

 There is no Water Development Policy. We cannot utilize our great natural resources. Article 38 of the Constitution requires to develop these resources to provide food, clothing, housing, medical facilities, education and other human needs. Please advise the President and the Prime Minister that credit will go to their Government if multipurpose 35 maf Katzarah Dam, 8.5 maf Guroh Dop Dam and 4.4 maf Raised Fateh Barrage are approved for construction.

 Katzarah Dam will create 35 maf storage equal to six times the storage of Basha or Kalabagh, control 100% flood in the Indus, generate hydropower and control silt in the Indus River water that comes from the highly erodible soil in the Skardu valley. This finding is reported by Dr Attaullah appointed by the World Bank to investigate the source of silt in the Indus River water. Katzarah Dam if built shall serve as Water shed Management Dam. Basha Dam life will increase from 80 –90 years to 700 years if Katzarah is built. Katzarah has unique narrow dam site in the world. Katzarah cost is not more than Basha. WAPDA has intentionally avoided preparing Katzarah technical feasibility though Nisar Memon committee directed WAPDA to prepare it at once. WAPDA promised to prepare it by September 2005. WAPDA did not comply as it cannot see any other dam than Kalabagh.