TAXILA: Following heavy rainfall in the catchment area of Khanpur Dam, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) opened the spillways of the reservoir on Monday for the second time in three days.
The spillways were opened after water level in the reservoir reached its maximum level of 1,982 feet, official sources said. They said so far 7,726 cusecs of water had been flushed out to create space for new inflows in the rain-fed dam. The sources said 6,876 cusecs of water was released on Saturday while 850 cusecs on Monday.
“We have planned to open the spillways from 9am to 3pc on Monday to flush out extra water but heavy rain in the catchment of the dam, especially Galliyat on Sunday, forced the authorities to execute the operation around dawn as the water level was dangerously increasing with heavy inflow,” said an official of dam.
The official said the spillway was opened for the first time this year on Saturday as the water level in the reservoir reached its maximum level of 1,982 feet after heavy rainfall in areas including Murree, Ayubia and upper Hazara.
When asked about potential threats of flooding caused by the heavy flow of water in Harro River, the official said the dam authorities had already informed the administrations of Haripur, Rawalpindi and Attock to adopt precautionary measures before opening the spillways.
Moreover, warnings have been issued to people living on either side of the river. The tehsil administration also suspended heavy traffic between Khanpur and Taxila to avert any untoward situation.
Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2022
