Indus flow to rise as Tarbela releases more water; Haripur, Attock issue alerts
Authorities expect more water to be released from Tarbela Dam into the Indus River tonight. Administrations in Haripur and Attock have told residents near the river to take precautions.
- More water may be released from Tarbela Dam into the Indus tonight
- A notification was issued for releasing 150,000 cusecs during the evening
- Haripur and Attock administrations told riverside residents to move livestock to safe places
- A KP official said the Tarbela incident poses no flood threat
Authorities have warned that the flow in the Indus River will rise further after additional water is expected to be released from Tarbela Dam tonight. The river's flow is likely to increase over the next 24 hours, according to Minute Mirror.
The Haripur deputy commissioner issued an alert about the rising flow and told residents living along the river to stay cautious because of a possible risk. Daily Jang reported that authorities expect the flow to increase within two to three days.
Minute Mirror reported that a notification was issued for releasing 150,000 cusecs of water from the dam into the river during the evening. The flow at Hund was recorded at 133,737 cusecs, according to the figures of the provincial irrigation adviser. Authorities were also lowering the water level at Tarbela Dam to 1,490 feet, a process expected to be finished by noon.
In Attock, the district administration urged people in Chhachh village near the river to remain cautious. Alerts were issued for several areas of Hazro tehsil, where the administration arranged announcements through local mosques. Residents were advised to move their livestock to safer locations without delay.
The releases follow an incident at the Tarbela Extension Hydropower Project. A section of weak rock collapsed during excavation of the second bench of a connecting tunnel, and water entered the tunnel and powerhouse area. Daily Jang reported that a protective embankment at the T-5 project partly broke after a girder fell at the site.
A WAPDA spokesperson said water had been completely drained from the intake pit and that the main tunnel, the under-construction powerhouse and the switchyard were not damaged. All local and foreign workers were safely evacuated, the spokesperson said. WAPDA rejected reports that Tarbela Tunnel No. 5 had collapsed, calling them incorrect.
Construction on the extension project was suspended after the incident, according to sources. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa irrigation adviser Dr Irshad Khan said the Secretary Irrigation visited Swabi after the incident, and that there is no flood threat from it.
Background
khabr.pk reported on 5 November that authorities warned residents of Jamshoro, Hyderabad and Kotri not to drink Indus water after dissolved solids rose to dangerous levels. That warning concerned water quality in the lower Indus, while the present alerts concern flow in the upper reaches.
Why it matters for Pakistan
People living and farming along the Indus in Haripur and Attock, including Chhachh village and parts of Hazro tehsil, are the ones asked to take precautions. Livestock owners have been told to move animals to safer places immediately. Local administrations are using mosque announcements to reach villagers. Workers at the Tarbela extension project were evacuated and construction there has been suspended.
