Gomal Zam Dam Eyed Up As Game-changer For Region

The mega project of Gomal Zam dam will bring green revolution by ensuring round the year water flow in canals and eliminate sense of deprivation among people of the area, especially Tank and Dera Ismail Khan

TANK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Jan, 2019 ) :The mega project of Gomal Zam dam will bring green revolution by ensuring round the year water flow in canals and eliminate sense of deprivation among people of the area, especially Tank and Dera Ismail Khan.

The military rulers launched the gigantic project in 2001, but given slow pace on the vital reservoir, earlier people of this region who, largely depend on agriculture had disappointed.

But as work picks up pace in steady manner on the scheme, hopes and optimism had started sprung up within socio-agricultural circles of the region, terming its completion to be a good omen for the economy of poverty- stricken region which has rendered barren due to prolonged draught and non-availability of irrigation water.

The entire region including South Waziristan , Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts have no alternate opportunities to fell back on, except farming and agricultural activities.

People of the these rain-fed areas used to irrigate their lands either through centuries�old Rod-kohi irrigation system which pertains natural courses of perennial water.

Further more they have to wait for rain fall for Rabi and Kharif. While they had to meet hardly the required amount of water for the purpose .

During the course of time, the communities associated with agriculture occupation have always been complaining the non-availability of irrigation water in these parts of the country.

Thus "cutting and selling their trees " had left the only option to people to earn their livelihood .This trend on the part of dwellers paved a way to the process deforestation across the region.

Initially, there were rising premonitions among the masses for having limited capacity of water storage with relatively smaller lifespan due to silting up of Gomal Dam.

But the government was affirmed and decisive to launch the gigantic uplift scheme with a view to increasing demand of food and fiber of a significantly growing population.

At last the project inaugurated by the end of August 2001.

Gomal Zam dam is being constructed about 35 miles from Tank to convert most of the barren land into irrigated area. The dam would mainly supply water to Tank and DIKhan districts of the North West Frontier province.

Earlier, the government in August 1963 had approved the project. Coincidentally, after 38 years in the same month, its earth-breaking ceremony was performed but the construction plan could not be realized due to break of Indo-Pak war in 1965.

The present revised and updated shape of the dam has the storage capacity of 360maf per annum. It would also have a limited power generation plant.

A 63 km long main canal with average discharge of 572 cusecs besides 18 distributories having a total canal length of 203 kms in the distribution system.

Ghulam Sarwar a retired official of Works department opined that flood protection is an additional benefit of this project.

Meanwhile a barrage has also been constructed in 'Kot Murtaza'.

Practically,the risk of flood damages to infrastructure would also be reduced", he added.

Mustafa Kundi, the district nazim of Tank, viewed that there would be a positive impact on the soil conservation, safety of population, agriculture development and infrastructure and communication system.

The present government, realizing its potential and visualizing the direct and indirect benefits of this rather low cost scheme, decided to take this multipurpose project out of the cold storage.

No doubt the project will bring the poverty stricken region into a new era of prosperity and create new opportunities for the people of Tank and DIKhan and South Waziristan districts who despite having vast land, are living below the poverty-line.

The agri-sociol circles of the area think that the Gomal Zam dam will give boost to agriculture sector, and ensure efficient supply of food from this area to other parts of the country.