LAHORE - The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has decided to enhance the storage capacity of Hub Dam in order to meet the increasing requirement of water in the country, Sindh and Balochistan in particular.
The decision to this effect was taken in a meeting presided over by Wapda Chairman Muzammil Hussain and attended by the Members of the authority.
According to the details, Wapda will regain Hub Dam's lost storage capacity of about 49,000 acre feet by removing the sediment deposits in the reservoir. The present live storage capacity of the reservoir will be increased by excavating the deposited material lying between the Dead Storage Level (276 feet) and Normal Conservation Level (339 feet) along the reservoir periphery.
Hub Dam Project was constructed in 1981 across River Hub, some 56-kilometer North-East of Karachi. The project was designed to supply 102 million gallon per day (MGD) to Sindh and 59 MGD to Balochistan. At the time of its completion, live water storage capacity of Hub Dam was 760,000 acre feet, which has come down to 646,000 acre feet now.
It is pertinent to mention that Hub Dam Project also has the potential to generate hydel electricity. The concept paper, prepared by Wapda Hydropower Planning says that 1.4 MW of electricity can be generated from the Dam by installing two generating units of 0.7 MW each, with annual energy generation of 5.85 million units of electricity.
The electricity generated through Hub Dam can be provided to the institutions and households located in vicinity of the project. Therefore, Wapda has also decided to implement Hydropower Project at Hub Dam. The offices concerned have been directed to prepare feasibility study, detailed engineering design and tender documents for the purpose.
Hub dam, one of the main sources of water for Karachi, had almost reached its dead level, which is 278 feet. It had reached 279.2 feet in the first week of June and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) had warned that the dam could only supply water for another month. The last time the dam reached its full capacity was in 2013 and the water level was enough to meet the citizen’s requirements for three years.
The dam is not only a source of water for Karachi, but also supplies water to Hub and Lasbella district and the surrounding areas for irrigation purposes.
