Hub Dam begins to overflow amid downpour

Water level rises to maximum capacity for the first time in 13 years

KARACHI:

After threatening to spill over all day, the Hub Dam finally overflowed on Thursday evening.

The dam's water level rose close to its maximum capacity of 340 feet after almost 13 years on Thursday, with area residents informing The Express Tribune later in the day that water had begun to flow outside it.

The dam, located at the Sindh-Balochistan border, supplies water to Karachi and Hub, the Balochistan city near the provincial border.

Sources told The Express Tribune that an emergency gate had been built for such emergency situation's during the dam's construction in the 1960s. However, they added, it had never been used in the past.

"We have never witnessed such a situation before," disclosed a resident.

Earlier in the day, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board spokesperson Rizwan Ahmed told The Express Tribune that the water would soon start overflowing from the dam's spillways. "The last time it reached its maximum level was in 2007," related the official. "It is at a dangerously high level at this time. The district and local administrations have been informed about the situation.

The dam provides about 60 per cent of its water to the city's West district and, given the current water levels, Ahmed claimed it had enough water to supply the area for the next three years.

Meanwhile, residents living in the area told The Express Tribune that despite the hazardous situation, people from different areas of the metropolis had started arriving at the Hub Dam to see the sight.

"This is not a safe place right now," insisted Abdul Latif Rind, a union committee member, stressing the gravity of the matter. "If the dam overflows and breaches, it will submerge numerous villages located nearby."

Rind stated that more water was expected to flow through the catchment areas of Balochistan, adding that he had been told by residents in the neighbouring province that more water was heading towards the Hub Dam.

He further opined that the deployment of armed forces seemed necessary. "The dam is a very sensitive place right now and citizens should stay away from it for at least a week," he advised.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that the dam's emergency gates would be opened before the water from the spillways was discharged, while officials from the relevant departments, including district officials from Lasbela, Balochistan, and irrigation department staff, had reached the site.

Once the excess water is released through the spillways, it will reach the Hub River before entering the sea near Mubarak Village.

An alert had reportedly been issued to the residents of nearby areas, including Mir Muhammad Mengal Goth, Ali Mohammad Goth, Yaqoob Goth, Raees Goth, Mai Garhi Goth and other adjacent localities, warning them to evacuate their residences.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan tweeted that the administration had been engaged in evacuation efforts for the last three days, adding that people could still take extra precautions.