KARACHI, Aug 8: Sindh Planning and Development Department (SPDD) has said that Hub dam project, situated 35 miles north east of Karachi, is an inter-provincial project as the beneficiaries are located in Sindh and Balochistan provinces.

The dam, being built over Hub river, is meant to create a reservoir having live storage capacity of 760,000 acre feet for supply of municipal and industrial water to Karachi in Sindh and Lasbella district in Balochistan, besides supplying irrigation water to 1,000 acres in Sindh and 21,000 acres of land in Balochistan.

WAPDA has been responsible for releasing water from the dam as per share i.e. 63.3 per cent to Sindh and 36.7 per cent to Balochistan till mid 90’s.

In 1977, due to depletion in the reservoir level, a committee under additional chief secretary of planing and development department was constituted in a joint meeting of the chief ministers of both the provinces with secretary irrigation and power, Balochistan, MD KWSB and General Manager (Water) South, WAPDA as its members. The committee was set up to periodically review the water level in Hub dam and decide the quantity of water supplied from Hub dam to Sindh and Balochistan as per agreed share (i.e. 63.3 per cent and 36.7 per cent respectively).

Till date, the WAPDA has been supplying 30mgd water and the authority can not increase the supply due to the repair needed in the appurtenant structure.

During the recent monsoon rain, the Hub dam has crossed its full capacity i.e. Reservoir Level (RL) 339 feet.

WAPDA has informed that the repair work was in full swing and would be completed by the end of August 2003. The water supply from the dam could be increased thereafter.—APP