Rains bring joy for people of Gadap

There are smiles on the faces of the people of Gadap Town because Thaddo Dam is brimming with water.

KARACHI: Recent rains in the city have managed to bring smiles on the faces of the people of Gadap Town because Thaddo Dam is brimming with water.

The dam, built over 17,110 acres, is holding water up to 35 feet and it is only two feet away from spilling over, said Engineer Malir Division Muhammad Yaqoob. He added, however, that the residents of Gadap Town do not face any threats and they can use the reserved water on crops for another year and a half.

Gadap Town supplies around 60 to 70 per cent of the vegetables in Karachi so it was a definite source of joy when water reserves increased in the dam. Residents were, however, afraid that the dam might not withstand the high water levels as the embankments have become weak and need to be cemented.

The dam needs some more work on it, such as stone pitching, said a resident, Muhammad Buksh. Before the construction of Thaddo Dam, there was only one well and a tube well for irrigation in Gadap but now the area uses 33,000 wells and tube wells that supply water to 33,700 acres. Residents have suggested that more dams should be built so that there is better use of the water for agriculture.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2010.