Recent rains in southern Balochistan and Kirthar National Park area in Sindh have helped increase Hub Dam’s level to 310.4 feet and now the reservoir has enough water to supply to both Balochistan and Karachi for an entire year, officials said.
Karachi gets around 100mgd of water from the Hub Dam while Lasbella district gets around 60-70mgd of water for both irrigation and drinking purposes, as the reservoir cater to the water needs of millions of people.
Water level in the Hub reservoir had reached a dead level a few weeks back despite having the storage capacity for three years; however, recent rains heavily contributed to storing water in the dam, which will be enough to meet the water needs till August next year.
“By 4:00pm on Monday, water level in the dam had increased to 310.4 feet and water is still flowing into the reservoir. The dam’s maximum capacity is 339 feet and rains will continue to lash the catchment area of the dam as per predictions, so we will have more water stored,” Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the Hub Dam Ahmed told The News.
It is worth mentioning here that the Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast more rains in southern Balochistan, including Lasbella district, and if the prediction comes true, the dam’s level is expected to further rise to seven to 10 feet.
Thousands of farmers in the Lasbella district, including Sakran area, cultivate their fields through Hub Dam water while the only source of drinking water of the entire area is also a canal that fetches water from the Hub Dam.
A large portion of Karachi, including Baldia Town, Manghopir, Surjani, New Karachi and adjoining areas, also get water from Hub Dam, which is first filtered at Hub Pumping Station in Surjani Town and then supplied to domestic and industrial consumers in these areas.
“In the wake of heavy downpour in the catchment area of the dam, it is highly likely that the dam would get enough water to meet the needs for the next couple of years,” SDO Hub Dam Ahmed hoped.
