One week of rains raises water level in Hub Dam by 12 feet

One of the reasons for the recent water shortage in Karachi was that the reservoir had almost dried up

KARACHI: The recent rainfall in the Kirthar Range has increased the water level of one the largest reservoirs, Hub Dam, by 12 feet in just one week.

Monsoon rains in the dam's catchment areas — right side of the Kirthar Range — on Monday increased its water level by five feet, bringing it to 287 feet and eight inches in a single day. "The inflow continues," said the chief engineer of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), Sikander Ali Zardari.

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Speaking to The Express Tribune, Zardari said that the source of water for the dam is rain. "It can supply continuous water to its areas for at least three years if it fills up to its full capacity," he said. The dam's reservoir is spread over an area of 0.6 million acre-feet and has a spill level of 339 feet.



According to share, 100 million gallon per day is supplied by the dam to Karachi's District West and parts of District Centre while 33 million gallon per day is supplied to Hub taluka of Balochistan. There was acute shortage of water in areas where water is supplied from the Hub Dam for the last couple of months.

Read: ‘Water levels may rise after heavy monsoon’

"It was dried for the last one year," said the chief engineer. He added that due to shortage of rainfall in the region, the dam came to its dead level and it was difficult for the administration to supply water to the people of Karachi and Hub taluka. According to Zardari, with its total capacity of 0.6 million acre-feet, the Hub Dam reservoir is considered the third largest after those of Tarbela and Mangla dams.

KWSB officials said that the increase in the water level continues regularly. "It will reach spill level if rainfall continues across the monsoon season," said KWSB spokesperson Nazeer Mateen.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2015.