HARIPUR, Oct 9: An emergency has been declared in the Tarbela dam area in view of the forecast of aftershocks. Wapda authorities have told staff to remain on duty round the clock. Even those who are on leave have been asked to join duty immediately.

According to sources in the Tarbela dam, three departments have been asked to conduct a survey of the dam area and submit a report.

Initial findings of the seismology department suggested that the dam’s structure was quite safe and had suffered no damage due to Saturday’s earthquake which had rendered thousands homeless in the catchment areas of the world’s biggest earth-filled reservoir.

The sources said that the dam authorities had cancelled holidays of all staff members of the seismology, survey and hydrology departments and asked them to conduct a complete survey of the dam’s sensitive areas.

The teams of seismologists and two other departments were reportedly busy surveying the entire structure, including tunnels, powerhouse, turbines and embankments.

Initial findings suggested that the structure was safe as it had been built in a way as to sustain tremors of magnitude larger than those of Saturday’s quake.