IRSA calls for water in raised Mangla Dam at maximum level

LAHORE: The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) on Wednesday asked the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to ensure the water flows in the raised Mangla dam at its maximum level to irrigate agriculture lands and increase power generation in summer season.
IRSA officials asked this during a meeting at WAPDA House. The meeting was attended by high-ups of WAPDA, IRSA and Punjab Irrigation Department. The meeting was held in the backdrop of collapsed stretch of Mirpur-Kotli dual carriageway at Khaliqabad and the damage caused to allied reservoir rim.
The meeting noted that there was no threat to the dam safety due to the collapse of road. WAPDA has already decided to construct the damaged portion and rehabilitate the adjacent reservoir rim as a goodwill gesture for the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, the IRSA chairman, along with the members from Sindh and Punjab provinces, visited the damaged site of Mirpur-Kotli road and allied reservoir rim at the dam site. They held a meeting with the WAPDA authorities regarding the constraints in replenishing Mangla reservoir.
The IRSA overruled the administrative order of the AJ&K government related to an imposition of restriction on impounding Mangla reservoir beyond 1,202 feet above the mean sea level. It asked WAPDA to fill the raised Mangla dam to its maximum capacity level of 1,242 feet at all costs.
The WAPDA spokesperson said IRSA has assured the authority of retaining the water level at 1,210 ft above the mean sea level of up to May 20 this year to enable the completion of the foundation works till such time.
The spokesperson maintained that IRSA has endorsed the WAPDA’s viewpoint that Mangla reservoir has a natural embankment on suburbs of Mirpur city. Ideally, no road should be constructed on the natural embankment area.
He said if at all any road is to be constructed on natural embankment WAPDA’s input should be sought to meet the construction requirements, such as compaction of material for road foundation and construction of retaining wall with the specified design.
The spokesperson said the present reservoir level of Mangla dam as of today is 1,207.25 ft above the mean sea level as compared to 1,152.85 ft on the same day of last year, which indicates more water availability in the reservoir.