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MIRPUR (Azad Kashmir):
The phased process for rehabilitation of the
affectees of the gigantic Mangla dam raising project coupled
with initial
work on the project including formal survey to launch the
construction work
will begin from May this year, disclosed
Commissioner Mangla Dam Affairs, Engineer Chaudhry
Amir Afzal.
He was addressing the radio press conference in the studios of
Azad Kashmir
Radio Mirpur Saturday. The program was conducted by senior
producer
Shahid Amin to apprise the listeners of the update information
about the
Mangla Dam Raising project.
'Pakistan Times' Azad
Kashmir Bureau Chief Altaf Hamid Rao, Kashmir Press Club President Nazir Chaudhry, Raja
Sohrab Khan of
Daily Insaf, News Editor Radio Mirpur Zaffar Iqbal Mughal
and the
Information Officer Ch Muhammad Rashid raised questions in
the program to
gather today knowledge about the execution of the plan.
The Commissioner Mangla Dam Affairs continued that the
upcoming Rs 64
billion gigantic Mangla Dam Raising Project will usher in the
new era of
speedy progress and prosperity through bringing about green
revolution in
the country including Azad Kashmir – since the project will
augment supply
of irrigation water in various parts of the country
particularly in Punjab
and Sind provinces at a time when country is in its dire need,
official
sources said.
Elaborating the wide scale benefits of the project,
Amir said
that there
will be additional power generation and further flood
alleviation as a
result of raising by 30 feet of the dam from the existing 1210
feet level. The conservation level of the dam will be raised by 40
feet from
existing 1202 feet conservation level. On the average,
annual water
availability for irrigation releases for various parts of the
country
including both Sind and Punjab would increase by 2.9 million Muqaab
Acre Feet (MAF).
Amir Afzal said that the quantity of water shall drastically
increase
which will enhance the agriculture productions in Punjab and Sind to
greater extent. Resultantly more large scale area shall
come under
irrigation opening new avenues of employment to the rural
population of
both the province.
In addition to that due to additional
storage of water
in Mangla dam reservoir and availability of constant head the
generation of
inexpensive Hydel electricity shall increase which will reduce
the
additional burden of expensive thermal energy from IPPs
(Independent Power
Projects). Punjab and Sind will also enjoy the maximum
availability of
water through canals and subordinate water channels to
irrigate more large
scale area, he said.
The Mangla Dam Affairs
Commissioner said that a new model city and four towns with all
latest
amenities of life would be carved out for the rehabilitation
of the
affectees of the dam upraising project. Besides Dhan gali
bridge and six
new grid stations would also be installed in the district.
He said that
the government of Pakistan has principally agreed to lay
latest networks of
water supply and sewerage in the existing Mirpur city.
The
commissioner observed that suitable amount of the Mangla dam royalty will be
spent for the
uplift and development of various parts of Mirpur district without any
discrimination. He said that Azad Jammu Kashmir will also be highly
benefited of the dam raising project as the down stream areas
on
thousands acres of lands in Mirpur and Bhimbher districts
shall be brought
under irrigation after having water from the dam in the light
of the
commitment by the government.
Water from the dam could also
be utilized
for drinking purposes in Mirpur and the adjoining hamlets on
the periphery
of the Mangla lake through execution of the greater water
supply schemes in
Mirpur and the adjoining areas.
The average annual energy output is estimated to increase by
772 GWH which
is equivalent to an increase of about 150 megawatts in output
of the
existing 1000-MW power plant. The raising project will also
generate
construction activity and employment opportunities at large
scale, he said.
The dam has already contributed significantly towards
improvement of the
environment in terms of agriculture growth, job opportunities
and improved
standard of living. Availability of additional water and
hydropower will
further enhance these positive impacts,
Amir Afzal added.
The Commissioner pointed out that since the completion in
1967, the gross
storage capacity of Mangla reservoir has reduced by about 20
percent due to
sediments deposition. He pointed out that the Mangla dam
was originally
designed with the water storage capacity up to 1270 feet water
level. 'But due to some reasons, it was kept to the water storage
capacity up to
1210 feet water level.'
Compensating for the capacity lost
to
sedimentation was in mind and a provision for raising of the
dam was kept in
the original design and construction of the dam. The raising of the dam has now gained importance on account
of the ever increasing shortage of irrigation due to
sedimentation of the
country’s two major storage reservoirs at Terbela and Mangla.
Raising of
the Mangla Dam will help in to regain the reservoir capacity
lost to
sediment deposition and make provision for future
sedimentation.
It may be added that the main features of the project include
four earth
dams with a maximum height of 454 ft. (154 meter) and a total
length of
about 13 kilometers. For flood routing, two spillways are
provided.
Hydropower is generated through ten units of 100 megawatts
each. Water to
the power generating units is supplied through five tunnels. Irrigation
releases are usually made through the tunnels, occasionally
supplemented by
release through the main spillway.
When completed in 1967, Mangla reservoir had a gross storage
capacity of
5.878 million Maqaab Feet (MAF) , which by now has reduced to
4.68 MAF.
The capacity will reduce further to 4.50 MAF by the time the
dam raising
project is completed in June 2007.
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