If Bhasha Dam is to be built, it should be built according to the originally designed structure
LAHORE: The minster for power and water has said that there will be no compromise on the construction of the Bhasha Dam. The very design of the dam, however, is a political compromise. The height of the dam as per its original design was a little over 600 feet, which gave it a storage capacity less than that of the Kalabagh Dam. To give it superiority over the Kalabagh Dam, the height was revised to a little over 900 feet. The material and mode of construction were also tampered with to reduce the excessive time it would have taken to build such a huge dam. Even the cost of construction was miraculously shown to be about the same as for the Kalabagh Dam.
Many experts believe that a dam of this height in an active seismic zone and below zero temperatures would only increase the risk of accidents. If at all Bhasha Dam is to be built, instead of competing with the far superior Kalabagh Dam, it should be built according to the originally designed structure and not based on politically-motivated designs.
Engr Khurshid Anwer
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2016.
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