Successful Partial Diversion of Indus River Paves the Way for Complete Transformation at Basha Dam Project
By Tahir Ali
Dec 11, 2023
Chairman WAPDA reviewing the progress at DBDP. [Photo/WAPDA]
DIAMER, - After successfully partially diverting the Indus River earlier this month, the groundwork is now set for the full-scale diversion as part of the Diamer Basha Dam Project (DBDP) in Gilgit Baltistan (GB). The complete diversion is scheduled to occur at any time this week, starting today (Monday).
The announcement was made on Sunday during Chairman WAPDA Engineer Lieutenant General Sajjad Ghani's (Retd) visit to DBDP to assess the river diversion system. The official statement from the authority reads, “WAPDA is all set to achieve the landmark of the Indus River diversion at DBDP next week by plugging the upstream cofferdam.”
The diversion system includes about a one-kilometer-long diversion tunnel, a 0.857 km long diversion canal, and two coffer (starter) dams – one upstream and the other downstream of the main dam site.
The POWERCHINA team, the main constructor of the project, succeeded in partially diverting the River Indus through the diversion system earlier this month. Currently, the River Indus flows mainly through the diversion tunnel and diversion canal, partly through its natural course.
After complete conversion, the River Indus will then flow through the diversion system, bypassing the main dam site and rejoining its natural course after about a distance of 800 meters.
During his visit, Mr. Ghani also assessed the construction progress at various project sites, accompanied by the Project Director PDBD. Representatives from the consultants and contractors were also present on the occasion.
The Chairman was briefed about the test run of the diversion system, and he was informed that the diversion tunnel and diversion canal are both functioning satisfactorily. At present, construction work is continuing smoothly on 13 sites simultaneously.
DBDP is being constructed on the River Indus, 40 km downstream of Chilas town. This mega multipurpose project is scheduled for completion in 2028, with a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF to irrigate 1.23 million acres of land. The power generation capacity of the project stands at 4,500 MW, with an annual energy generation of 18 billion units.
According to WAPDA, DBDP is among the eight under-construction projects scheduled for completion from 2024 to 2028-29. These projects will add about 10,000 MW of low-cost and environmentally friendly hydel electricity and store 9.7 million acre-feet of water.
