Dawn reported that recent inclement weather has brought new life to Pakistan's largest reservoir.
Tarbela, Mangla, and Chashma are the semi-arid country's three main reservoirs, with the Mangla Dam being the largest one. All three have reached maximum levels of 1,550 feet, 1,242 feet, and 649 feet above mean sea level, respectively.
As an official source told Dawn, the full reservoirs happened "mainly due to rains, floods, etc," along with melting snow.
A Mangla dam full to the brim helps secure Pakistan's essential hydroelectricity and farming irrigation. According to the University of Massachusetts, Pakistan's dams store water in the high flow and rainy seasons for the "rabi" crops grown in the drier winter season between November and April, making them vital to agriculture. These essential crops include the country's staple, wheat, as well as rice, sugarcane, and cotton.
Regarding hydropower, the Mangla dam's installed power generation capacity is 1,000 megawatts, but it will increase to 1,310 megawatts with the ongoing refurbishment project. So, being at full capacity ensures the country has clean and renewable energy, forgoing reliance on dirty fuels. Therefore, residents have more affordable electricity and reduced blackouts with a more stable National grid.
When the Mangla dam was constructed in 1967, its live storage capacity was 5.88 million acre-feet (MAF), but sedimentation gradually decreased that figure to 4.6 MAF by 2004. Thanks to the Mangla Dam Rising Project, it now has 7.5 MAF capacity.
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Thriving dams can help Pakistan keep to its 2021 Climate Pledge made to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The country's ambitious goal includes a 50% reduction of projected pollution by 2030 by shifting to 60% renewable energy (such as hydropower). The transition includes completely banning imported coal.
In addition, news of Pakistan's three revived reservoirs shows how a combination of conservation efforts and natural processes can help once-endangered resources from lakes in Utah to Texas to India make a comeback.
Luckily, everyone can help conserve the planet's vital but finite resource by capturing rainwater for gardens, cultivating non-thirsty native plants, and taking local action against plastic pollution that seeps into many waterways.
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