Lack of upkeep undercuts utility of small dams in Haripur

The govt has yet to allocate funds for maintenance or repairs.

HARIPUR:

Lack of proper maintenance has severely constricted the storage capacity and outflow of three small dams in Haripur district, built for irrigating agricultural land.

Bhutri, Kahal and Mang dams were constructed during the era of military dictator Field Marshal Ayub Khan, also a resident of Haripur under the slogan of bringing green revolution in the country in the late 1960s.

According to sources in the irrigation department, Kahal dam was built on a causeway-cum-small tributary known as Kahal nullah and brings rainwater to the dam has storage capacity of 7000 acre feet. It was supposed to irrigate over 80 acres of land in four villages in Rehana and Sara-e-Saleh union councils. Bhuttri Dam has a storage capacity of 5,000 acre feet and it irrigates 30 acres of land downstream. However due to lack of maintenance, Kahal dam’s storage capacity has been reduced to 3000 to 4000 acre feet and Bhuttri dam’s capacity is merely 2500 to 3000 acre feet and the canal system was also damaged in several places leading to seepage and loss of several acre feet of water.

Mang dam situated on Khanpur road serves as another picnic spot in the district. It has a storage capacity of about 4,000 acre ft but it has been accumulating silt and sand because it has been redundant from day one as its canal system was not developed. The government had also constructed rest houses for income generation at Kahal and Mang dams, two have been turned into remains they failed to attract the attention of government and irrigation department.

An official source declining to be identified said the department has requested the provincial government to allocate Rs2 million for maintenance of canals and other structures of Bhuttri and Kahal dams which the government has not yet approved. Every year, the government is asked to disburse Rs2.5 million for the two dams but since the funds have not been forthcoming, the reservoirs’ structures require massive repairs.

Replying to a question, the source said the three dams are also serving as hatcheries of different species of fish. “The fisheries department has been earning millions from the sale of fish for years but has yet to spend a single paisa for their upkeep.”

The official said desilting of Kahal and Bhuttri dams along with their upraising, could increase their life span for another 100 years, but the plan requires millions of rupees to materialise. Hundreds of acres of unirrigated land in Haripur could be made cultivable, providing livelihoods to hundreds of men, while contributing to food security which is the biggest issue of the century.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2012.