Tarbela Dam

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Tarbela Dam (or the National Dam) (Urdu: تربیلا بند ) is a large dam on the Indus River in Pakistan. It is located about 50 kilometers North-West of Islamabad near Haripur District. It is one of the largest earth filled dams in the world and it is a major source of Pakistan's total hydroelectric capacity. Tarbela Dam is part of the Indus Basin Project, which resulted from a water treaty signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, guaranteeing Pakistan water supplies independent of upstream control by India. Construction began in 1968, and continued until completion in 1976. The dam has a volume of 138,600,000 cubic yards (106,000,000 m³). With a reservoir capacity of 11,098,000 acre-feet (13.69 km³), the dam is 469 feet (143 m) high and 8,997 feet (2,743 m) wide at its crest. It helps to maintain the flow of the Indus during seasonal fluctuations.

Tarbela is a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. It is divided in different colonies like Sobra City, Right Bank Colony, Sanobar Colony and Mehran Colony. Most of the residents are employee of Wapda.

A new, smaller hydro-electric power project has been developed downstream known as the Ghazi Barotha Hydel Power Project. Its is solely for generating electricity and has a water channel with the highest flow in the world.

While the dam has fulfilled its purpose in storing water for agricultural use in Pakistan, there have been environmental consequences to the Indus river delta. Reduction of seasonal flooding and reduced water flows to the delta have decreased mangrove stands and the abundance of some fish species.