HARIPUR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued a 24-hour safety alert for Haripur, Swabi, and Nowshera on Monday due to increased water releases following a rock collapse at the Tarbela Dam extension site.
PDMA has directed district administrations to monitor communities along the Indus River and take precautions against potential flooding. Residents are also advised to report any emergencies through the operational control centre at helpline 1700. An official informed The Nation that the water discharge surged by 162%, rising from 55,000 cusecs to 144,200 cusecs.
Additionally, a hydrology notification from the Tarbela Dam warned that water releases could exceed approximately 150,000 cusecs. This incident occurred during excavation work on the second bench connecting tunnel at the Tarbela Dam Fifth Extension Project (T-5).
According to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), a weak rock mass collapsed, allowing water from the intake pit to enter the tunnel and powerhouse construction area. All workers escaped safely. WAPDA confirmed that nobody suffered injuries or lost their life.
The authority rejected claims that the main T-5 tunnel had collapsed. It reported no damage to the main tunnel, unfinished powerhouse, tailrace culvert or switchyard.
Read More: Tarbela T-5 Inquiry Follows Flooding at Construction Site
Workers have since completely drained the intake pit and have also started removing water from the powerhouse area, while further inflow into downstream work sites has stopped.
Haripur Deputy Commissioner Waseem Ahmed separately rejected social media claims that Tarbela Dam itself had broken.
Construction work remains suspended. The extension project will add 1,530 megawatts of generation capacity through three units.
The World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank are financing the scheme with $390 million and $ 300 million, respectively.
Senior WAPDA officials, engineers and contractors are assessing the affected site. Authorities have not announced when construction will resume.
