Rain fills Hub Dam

Water level rises to 310ft to ensure supply till Dec 2020

KARACHI: Around 35 dams of varying sizes in the suburbs of Karachi were filled to the brim as rain poured over the city this week. The increase in underground water level would come in handy for irrigation of agricultural land and also benefit cattle farmers. Besides, drinking water would be available for over 1.5 million citizens for one year.

Hub Dam

Hub Dam, one of Karachi's two main sources of water supply, filled up to 310 feet. As the water level previously stood at 298.5ft this spell of rain has increased water level by 11.5ft. The dam now has enough water stored to be able to supply 100MGD to Karachi till December 2020.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Hub Dam Project Director Muhammad Ahtisham said that rainwater from Kirthar Range is gradually flowing towards Hub Dam. According to him, the water level of the dam rose during rainfall last winter because of which Karachi is being provided with 100MGDs of water and Lasbella is also being provided with 61MGDs since March. He claimed that the reservoir level of the dam is expected to increase till up to 339 feet -the maximum capacity of the dam - which would be enough to provide water for Karachi and Lasbella for three years.

Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Managing Director Asadullah Khan confirmed that with the recent rise in water level, the dam has enough water stored to be able to supply to the port city till December 2020.

Mitigating shortfall

At its optimal, Hub Dam supplies 63% of its capacity, which comes to 100MGD, to Karachi's West district, as well as North Karachi and New Karachi which fall in the Central district. The remaining 37% of the dam's water is supplied to Lasbella.

Now that the reservoir's level has reached 310ft, after a good spell of rain in the catchment areas, it would mitigate the shortfall in its designated areas in West and Central districts.

However, residents of these areas have yet again been left yearning for the basic amenity on account of the poor planning of the KWSB.

All these areas, which include Baldia Town, Orangi Town and SITE are densely populated and also comprise large industrial complexes, for which the water supply always remain inadequate.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2019.