Taunsa Barrage
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Head Taunsa Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus in Taunsa district of previously Dera Ghazi Khan District,
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
province of
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.High flood at Taunsa barrage alarms authorities
Dawn (newspaper), Published 22 July 2015, Retrieved 6 November 2017
It is situated southeast of Taunsa Sharif and Shadan Lund and from district Kot Addu. This barrage controls water flow in the River Indus for irrigation and
flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...
purposes. Taunsa Barrage Wildlife Sanctuary was designated a
Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **
This barrage serves 2.351 million acres (951,400 hectares) of land besides diverting flows from Indus River to the
Chenab River The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Hima ...
through ''Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canal'' (TP Link Canal). The barrage also serves as an arterial road bridge, a railway bridge, and crossing for gas and oil pipelines, telephone line and extra high voltage (EHV) transmission lines.


Background

Taunsa Barrage was completed in 1958. Head Draftsman Syed Tufail Hussain Shah received Silver Medal from President of Pakistan Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan on commendable services rendered on the completion of Taunsa Barrage on March 3, 1959. The canal system fed by the barrage initially consisted of Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi Khan Khan canals. The former was completed in 1960 and has been in operation since then, while the latter although opened in 1958 continued to remain under construction in some later years. TP Link canal was added in 1970, as a component work. Taunsa Barrage has been identified as the barrage with the highest priority for rehabilitation. It requires urgent measures to avoid severe economic and social impacts on the lives of millions of poor farmers through interruption of irrigation on two million acres (8,000 km2) and drinking water in the rural areas of southern Punjab, benefiting several million farmers. Taunsa Barrage is one of the most vulnerable water diversion projects built on Indus River. In April 2004, the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
approved a $123 million loan to
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
to rehabilitate the Taunsa Barrage, whose structure had been damaged owing to soil erosion and old-age. The project was designed to ensure irrigation of the cultivated lands in the area of the Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi Khan Tehsil canals, and through the TP Link Canal that supplements the water supply to Panjnad headworks canals. In 2011, the rehabilitation of the Taunsa Barrage was blamed for devastation of the Muzaffargarh district during the
2010 Pakistan floods The floods in Pakistan began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab (Pakistani province), Punjab and, Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan regions of Pakistan, which affected the Indus Riv ...
.What went wrong at Taunsa
Dawn (newspaper), Published 13 August 2010, Retrieved 6 November 2017
Critics blamed the rehabilitation of the barrage, alleging that it failed to raise its height and strengthen protective embankments, used dysfunctional computer control system of the hoist gates and ignored hill-torrent management.


See also

*
List of barrages and headworks in Pakistan This is a list of barrage (dam), barrages and headworks in Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Punjab Sindh See also *List of dams and reservoirs in Pakistan *List of canals in Pakistan References External links Barrages in Pakistan- at ''Pa ...
* List of dams and reservoirs in Pakistan


References

Irrigation in Pakistan Locks (water navigation) Dams in Pakistan Ramsar sites in Pakistan Dams completed in 1958 Dams on the Indus River {{Asia-dam-stub