Tarbela T-5 work suspended indefinitely after protective bund breach
A protective bund at the Tarbela Dam's T-5 hydropower project gave way on Monday, flooding Tunnel Five. All workers were evacuated and no casualties were reported.
- A protective bund breach flooded Tunnel Five of the Tarbela 5th Extension project on Monday.
- All Pakistani and foreign workers were evacuated; one worker swept into the water was rescued.
- Construction is suspended indefinitely and a high-level inquiry has begun.
Construction on the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project has been suspended indefinitely after a protective bund broke on Monday and let a large volume of water flood Tunnel Five, according to The Express Tribune and Minute Mirror.
Haripur Deputy Commissioner Waseem Ahmed visited the site and confirmed that water entered the tunnel after the bund gave way. The district administration and rescue agencies responded and moved all Pakistani and foreign workers to a safe location.
One Pakistani worker was swept into the water but was rescued by emergency teams. No casualties were reported.
An investigation has been launched to establish the cause. A high-level inquiry will examine whether a structural weakness or a technical fault led to the failure of the bund. Waseem Ahmed said the next course of action would be decided once the investigation report was received.
The scheme is a WAPDA project at Tunnel No. 5 of Tarbela Dam. It is designed to add 1,530 megawatts through three units of 510MW each. Once complete, it is expected to generate an average of 1.347 billion units of electricity a year and lift the dam's installed capacity from 4,888MW to 6,418MW.
The project has an approved cost of $807 million, with $390 million from the World Bank and $300 million from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. In May 2021, WAPDA awarded a $354.6 million civil works contract to China's Power Construction Corporation of China Limited.
The completion deadline has already been pushed back from the original five-year schedule to September 2027. In September 2024, a project director told a Senate committee that difficulties in obtaining an NOC from IRSA for closing Tunnel 5 were among the causes of delay. Work was also suspended temporarily in August 2025 after rising reservoir levels and higher inflows let water into the site.
Why it matters for Pakistan
The Tarbela 5th Extension is meant to raise the dam's installed capacity from 4,888MW to 6,418MW and add an average of 1.347 billion units of electricity a year to Pakistan's supply. The suspension adds to a schedule that had already slipped to September 2027. The project is funded with $390 million from the World Bank and $300 million from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The outcome of the inquiry will shape when work resumes.
