Power Crisis Imminent as Water Storage in Tarbela Dam Drops to Dead Level

Power generation from Tarbela Dam dropped to a minimal level and touched 503 megawatts (MW) on Wednesday due to the depleting water levels. According to the data available with ProPakistani, the water level of the reservoir has declined to 1,392 feet above sea level, whereas the live storage has dropped to zero or dead level. Winter is the off-peak season for electricity demand and generation in the country. However, this water crisis has exacerbated the power generation scenario. Sources from the Tarbela Dam administration informed ProPakistani that 12 generating units have been shut down due to low water inflows, and 4,425 MW of electricity has left the grid. At the moment, only 503 MW of electricity is generated from the Tarbela Dam on the run of the river flow, which is recorded at 16,300 cusecs. Chashma Barrage’s live storage has also dropped to zero level, and at the moment, Chashma outflows are 26,500 cusecs. Similarly, the flow of water in other rivers of the country has also decreased drastically. The flow of water in the Chenab River at Marala is 8,000 cusecs, and in river Kabul, the flow was recorded at 3,900 cusecs. Live water storage at Mangla Dam has also dropped to 0.8 million acre-feet, and at the moment, only 10,000 cusecs water is recorded as inflows. Currently, the Chashma Jhelum Link Canal, which irrigates South Punjab, is also closed for irrigation due to the depletion of usable water resources.