Pakistan has expedited work on four major dam projects in a bid to strengthen national water security and address growing risks from climate change. The initiative is expected to significantly enhance the country’s water storage capacity by more than 8 million acre-feet, according to official media reports.
The projects include the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam, Kurram Tangi Dam, and Naulong Dam.
Collectively, these projects are expected to add approximately 8.136 million acre-feet of water storage capacity. The largest contribution will come from the Diamer-Bhasha Dam alone, which is projected to store around 6.4 million acre-feet of water. Mohmand Dam will add about 0.676 million acre-feet, Kurram Tangi Dam around 0.90 million acre-feet, and Naulong Dam approximately 0.16 million acre-feet.
Officials say the expansion will not only improve water availability for agriculture and domestic use but also help mitigate flood risks and boost low-cost hydropower generation.
At present, Pakistan’s major water storage system consists of the Tarbela Dam, Mangla Dam, and Chashma Barrage.
The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has described the current period as a “decade of dams,” emphasizing the need for large-scale infrastructure development to cope with rising water demand, erratic rainfall patterns, and rapidly melting glaciers.
In addition, planning and design work is underway for several future reservoirs with a combined potential storage capacity exceeding 15 million acre-feet. These include proposed projects such as Sindh Barrage, Shyok Dam, Akhori Dam, Chiniot Dam, and Marang Dam.
WAPDA has also expanded its monitoring and telemetry systems to improve real-time data collection on river flows, dam conditions, cross-border inflows, and rainfall patterns.
Officials previously warned that Pakistan currently has storage capacity equivalent to only about 90 days of water demand, underscoring the urgency of developing new reservoirs. Following last year’s severe flooding in Punjab, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated that building new dams and water storage infrastructure is essential to reduce flood damage and support agricultural productivity.
The government maintains that accelerating dam construction is now a national priority to ensure long-term water security and climate resilience.
