Rains revive aquatic life in Rawal Dam

Rawal Dam filled to capacity gets an ecological uplift

When the heavens poured in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi it was nothing short of a godsend and blessing in disguise in the parched areas of the land.

The heaviest rainfall of the season recorded so far has filled Rawal Dam to its maximum capacity giving it an ecological uplift and reviving the endangered  marine and aquatic plant life of the reservoir.

Speaking to the media ICT Deputy Directory Fisheries (ICT), Ghoufran Shehzad on Wednesday said the rainwater coming from the Margalla hills catchments improves the growth of aquatic life.



He said the aquaculture in the reservoir improves the quality of water which in turn helps synthesis healthy habitat for the marine life.

To a question, he said the dam authorities are advised to avoid abrupt aperture of spillways that cause big fishes to fall down rendering loss of precious species.

He said people start fishing as soon as the spillways are opened and in some instances it has been observed that they are physically plunging into the water to grab the fish which can endanger their lives. To counter this issue, he said fisheries department has installed nets at a distance of 200-300 feet from the spillways to avoid drifting out of fishes.

Rawalpindi  Deputy Director Fisheries Mir Latif, in his expert opinion, opined that rains bring nutrients and soil enriched with essential minerals that prove to be supportive for aquatic growth especially fishes which are under threat during drought season.

He said sudden water rise in the reservoir causes fish mortality with immediate water bed turn over. Latif said: "The rainwater accumulated in the dam turns greenish due to micro-plants brought with the deluge from the catchments gives healthy habitat for the growth of fishes".

He said the water settles in the dam within 3-4 weeks at the same time as the aquatic life develops, however, if the thunderstorm and heavy rainfall persists then it could disturb water species synthesis.

"It develops instantly in favourable conditions", he added.While commenting on the water pollution jeopardizing the water life, he said the direct flow of household or sewage waste of Lakhwal village and the Bani Gala residential area were the major polluters.



He said the small scale drainage of the waste is not harmful while the large scale can prove to be fatal. A water treatment plant was proposed to be installed near the residential areas for purification of the contaminated water which was dropped due to financial issues, he said. Later, soaking pits were advised to be built by the area residents besides their houses which were constructed in the beginning by the residents of Bani Gala, he said.He said the new Bani Gala residents were not developing the pits and were dumping their sewage waste in the dam which was causing harmful impacts on the water table and water species.  

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2018.