Water shortage and energy security are the most important issues in Pakistan, and the amount of water per capita is decreasing with time to 908 cubic meters per year, located in the category of water scarce countries. In a bid to resolve these alarming problems, Pakistan has initiated an ambitious dam empowerment project that would enable a massive change in terms of water storage and hydro-power generation in the country.
Why Pakistan Needs More Dams
There are a number of critical issues that are behind the construction of new dams in Pakistan. The storage capacity of the river flows in Pakistan is one tenth of the world average which is 40 percent, indicating a serious lack of infrastructure. The rising population, the expanding agricultural sector, and the rising demands of the industrial sector have necessitated the development of the new water storage facilities in the country to ensure the sustainable development of the country.
The water crisis has been worsened by climate change whereby rainfall patterns are unpredictable and droughts are being experienced over extended periods of time which have impacted an effective agricultural production. Moreover, the already existing dams in Pakistan such as Tarbela and Mangla are facing sedimentation which constrain their storage capacity with time rendering the new infrastructure development projects of the essential significance.
Major Dams Under Construction in Pakistan (2026)
1. Diamer-Bhasha Dam
The DiamerBhasa Dam is the most radical and grandiose project of infrastructure development in Pakistan that is currently being constructed.
Location and Specifications: The highest RCC dam in the world, the dam is 272 meters high and it is situated on the Indus River between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan. The location lies about 40 kilometers below the Chilas town and 315 kilometers below the Tarbela Dam.
Capacity and Benefits: The project will have the gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF and irrigate 1.23 million acres of land. The project will deliver 18 billion units of green clean energy, and the cheapest electricity to the national grid annually, because of its installed power generation capacity of 4,500MW.
Project Cost and Timeline: The project price of the Diamer-Bhasi Dam Project has increased by 119.21 percent, as a result of changing design parameters, increased security and fluctuating exchange rates, which increased the cost of the project by 479 billion to 1.05 trillion. Based on the latest developments, the main dam works involving Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) should commence at the start of the next year, and the project should hit another milestone at the beginning of 2026.
The project is scheduled for completion by 2028, with construction ongoing at 17 key sites.
Social Development: In addition to the infrastructure, they have been spending Rs 78.5 billion to help resettle, educate, provide healthcare, develop infrastructure to the communities that were impacted by the construction of the dam
2. Mohmand Dam
Another corner stone project in the water infrastructure development program of Pakistan is the Mohmand Dam.
Location: The dam is constructed on the Swat River in Mohmand Tribal District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, some 37 kilometers south of Peshawar city.
Key Features: Mohmand Hydropower Project Mohmand Hydropower Project with a capacity of 800 megawatts is under construction on Swat River located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. This dam has the appearance of a concrete-faced rock-fill and the dam is about 700 feet deep and has a storage capacity of 1.293 million acre feet.
Benefits: It is estimated that this project will reduce flooding in Pakistan in the areas of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Naushera as well as irrigate 16, 737 acres of land. It is estimated that the energy generation of the power plant will be 2,862GWh yearly.
Project Status: The ground breaking ceremony was held in May 2019 and initial commissioning is scheduled as early as 2024-2025. The project was granted in March 2019 having an estimated budget of PKR 309 billion (around 2.17 billion dollars).
3. Dasu Hydropower Project
Dasu Hydropower Project is a run of the river hydro-electric project that is being constructed in phases by WAPDA.
Location and Design: The project site is situated on the Indus River, 345 kilometers southwest of Islamabad, 74 kilometers below the Diamer-Bhasa Dam and 240 kilometers above the Tarbela Dam.
Power Generation: 12 hydropower units will be installed, six units in phase 1 and six units in phase 2 of a total of 360MW. Phase one will be able to accommodate 12300GWh/annum whereas phase two will be more at 21700GWh/annum.
Timeline: Construction started in January 2020, Stage-I is planned to be finished by 2025-2028 period.
4. Kurram Tangi Dam
Location and Purpose: Kurram Tangi Dam is a multi-purpose dam on the Federally Administered Tribal Area, on the other side of the Kaitu River (which has been renamed Kurram River). The dam is approximately 14 kilometers heading upstream of Kurram Garhi Headworks and 32 kilometers northward of Bannu City.
Capacity: Kurram Tangi Dam is an energy generating capacity of 83.4 MW and is in its development process on the Kaitu River in North Waziristan, Pakistan.
Development Stages: The project is developed in two phases with the first phase entailing a 18 feet high weir that is projected to be finished within three years and this will be utilized to irrigate 16000 acres of farmland in the North Waziristan Agency.
5. Nai Gaj Dam
Location: Nai Gaj Dam is a construction of an embankment dam in the Pakistan on the Gaj River in the gorge region at the border of the Kirthar Mountains range, approximately 65 kilometres north-west of Dadu city in Sindh.
Specifications: The power station will be completed with the 4.2 MW installed capacity. The beginning of construction work occurred in May 2012.
Project Challenges: The project has had massive delays, and costs have increased since its inception, estimated cost of the project was at 17 billion but in 2019, it was estimated at 47.7 billion. In 2018, about half of the construction was finished, and it is currently predicted to be finished in 2024-2025.
6. Naulong Dam
Location and Design: Naulong Dam is presently a construction of an earthen dam on Mula River in Pakistan, approximately 30km of Gandawah City, Jhal Magsi district, Balochistan.
Specifications: The dam is a zoned earth-fill structure that is 186 feet in height and 0.242 MAF in gross storage with a command area of 47000 acres. The construction contract has been awarded to Descon Engineering Limited, which is the largest contractor in Pakistan.
Timeline: It was projected that work on this dam would be started by 2025.
7. Dadocha Dam
Frontier Works Organization is developing the Dadocha Dam that is specifically designed to solve the water crisis in Rawalpindi.
Purpose: On completion, the dam will provide the residents of Rawalpindi with 35 million gallons of water per day and the dam will greatly enhance the supply of water in the area.
Expected Completion: The project should be completed in the year 2026.
Additional Small Dam Projects
The dam construction program in Pakistan is not just limited to large scale projects, it also incorporates many other small dams in the provinces:
Balochistan Initiative: On January 21, 2021, the government of Balochistan also declared the intention to construct 16 new small dams in the province to enhance the situation with water in this arid area.
Punjab Projects: The Punjab government has given 13 new small dam projects along the Suleman Mountain ranges. Six mini dams have been authorized to be constructed in the districts of Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Attock, and Jhelum that will irrigate the land of 5,000 to 20,000 acre and supply the division of Islamabad and Rawalpindi with the drinking water.
Impact of Under-Construction Dams on Pakistan
Water Storage Enhancement
The completed eight projects under construction will also increase the carry over water in the country as WAPDA will have 9.7 million acre-feet of water storage, which will increase the carry over water capacity in the country to 45 days as compared to 30 days.
Energy Generation
When eight projects that are under construction are finished, WAPDA will increase its hydro-generating capacity to over 18,000 MW and will also produce an additional 9,043 MW. This clean, renewable energy will go a long way to reduce the reliance of Pakistan on the costly thermal energy and assist in reducing the electricity prices.
Agricultural Development
Millions of more acres of farmland will be irrigated by the new dams to increase food security and rural economic development. The DiamerBhasa Dam will in itself irrigate 1.23 million acres.
Flood Control
Such dams will offer essential flood control measures to the downstream communities to help in averting the severe floods, which have been experienced in Pakistan in the past. The Mohmand Dam will be directly beneficial to the urban regions of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Naushera to prevent flooding.
Economic Benefits
The construction works are generating thousands of employment. The DIAMER-Bhasa Dam alone has served as a source of employment and WAPDA has focused on giving more attention to hiring local people. The projects also imply the development of huge infrastructure in remote locations, which causes the growth of the regional economy.
Challenges Facing Dam Construction in Pakistan
Financial Constraints
There have been cost increase in several projects. The parameters that were reviewed in the design and security requirements added tremendously to the total cost of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam. Financing is also not an easy task and some finance providers had initially been reluctant owing to geopolitical reasons.
Security Issues
During the construction sites, especially where Chinese contractors are engaged, security threats have been experienced and this has required a lot of investments in security and has affected the timelines of the projects.
Environmental and Resettlement Concerns
Big dams are associated with the resettlement of the local communities and environmental issues. Diamer-Bhasha Dam had to set aside a sum of Rs. 78.5 billion of resettlement and community development programs.
Technical Challenges
During the construction of project such as Diamer-Bhasha, design had to be redesigned using new seismic parameters suggested by the international commission on large dams thus complicating and increasing the cost of construction.
The Future of Water Infrastructure in Pakistan
The program of building dams in Pakistan is one of the most serious investments into the future of the country. As water shortages become more obvious and energy consumption increases, such projects are needed in the context of sustainable development.
Construction of the projects differs according to the project with some smaller dams likely to be completed by 2025-2026 and more important ones such as the Diamer-Bhasa are set to be completed in 2028. Dasu Hydropower Project is to be built in stages up to the late 2020s.
Conclusion
The dams which are being constructed in Pakistan are a ground breaking investment in the water and energy infrastructure of the country. To the grandiose of the Diamer-Bhasa Dam to the smaller regional projects, these projects will solve the most crucial issues related to water scarcity, energy security, flood management, and agricultural output.
Though financing is an issue, security is another area of concern, and completion in time is a problem, the strategic value of these projects cannot be overestimated. These dams will be able to hold millions of acre-feet of water, produce thousands of megawatts of clean electricity, irrigate huge agricultural lands and safeguard communities against disastrous floods when operational.
The completion of these under-construction dams is not merely significant to Pakistan but a necessity to make it attain sustainable development and be able to satisfy the growing population. The current developments, however, are encouraging because they are a show that the country is serious in ensuring that its future in terms of water and energy is secured to the future generations.
