The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and National

Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) with funding from the World Bank (WB)
plan to undertake Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project (T5HP) by developing an
extension to the power generating capacity of the Tarbela Dam. The additional capacity
will be achieved by converting the 5th irrigation tunnel of the Tarbela Dam for
hydropower generation. WAPDA and NTDC have undertaken an environmental and
social assessment (ESA) of the Project in accordance with World Bank Operational
Policies and Pakistan regulations. The present ESA report documents the process and
outcome of this assessment.
Included in the scope of the ESA are the temporary and permanent works and
infrastructure required to construct and operate the primary power generation
infrastructure (located in the vicinity of the Tarbela Dam), and the associated facilities
that will be required to evacuate the generated power to the grid including a transmission
line and a grid station.
1.1 Background
The Tarbela Dam is one of the largest earth-fill dam constructions in the world. The dam
is situated on the Indus River in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) at a distance
of about 70 kilometers (km) NW of Islamabad and about 50 km upstream of the city of
Attock (see Figure 1.1). The reservoir behind the dam is almost 100 km long and
measures 243 km² when completely filled. The live storage capacity of the reservoir was
initially 11.9 billion m³ (about 9.65 million acre-feet or MAF), but this has been reduced
due to siltation during 35 years of operation to 6.8 billion m³ (about 5.51 MAF). The
Tarbela Dam is 2,743 m long, 143 m high above the river bed and has two spillways
cutting through the left bank and discharging into a side valley.
At the right bank there are four tunnels, each of about 900 m length as bypass for
irrigation releases and/or power generation. Tunnel 5 used for irrigation releases is
situated at the left bank. In three of the four tunnels on the right bank the water can be
used for both irrigation and for power generation. Tunnels 4 and 5 were originally
designed for irrigation supply.
The Tarbela Dam Project (TDP) was developed during the seventies of the last century in
the framework of the Indus Basin Water Master Plan. Initially the main purpose of TDP
was to supply irrigation water to the densely populated agricultural areas in Punjab and
Sindh provinces. Then, starting in the mid-eighties power generation capacity was added
in three subsequent hydro-electrical project extensions, installing a total of 3,478 megawatts
(MW) generating capacity on respectively Tunnel 1 (four turbines), Tunnel 2 (six
turbines) and Tunnel 3 (four turbines).
Currently, WAPDA is implementing the Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project
(T4HP) by converting the 4th tunnel for hydropower generation. The proposed T5HP
intends to utilize the existing 5th tunnel for power generation.
Environmental and Social Assessment of Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project
Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority 1-2
Figure 1.1:T5HP Location Map
Environmental and Social Assessment of Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project
Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority 1-3
1.2 The Proposed Project
The proposed project (T5HP) would support the scaling up of power generation capacity
by adding 1,410 MW to an existing tunnel number 5 (T5) of Tarbela Dam on Indus
River. The T5 is presently being used to release water for irrigation only when the
reservoir level is below the minimum spillway operating level and water releases from
the existing power units is not adequate. With T5HP power house installed, the T5 (and
overall TDP) would continue to carry out the same function and in addition water
released from spillway would be diverted through the tunnel 5 and only remaining water
would be passed over the spillway. This would maximize use of the existing TDP
facilities and provide the critically needed power for the country. It will generate
approximately additional 1,800 GWh of electricity utilizing the same water flows at a
very low cost compared to alternative generation from thermal or other hydropower
projects, that is because all other infrastructure such as dam and tunnel are already
constructed. Most importantly the gestation period of the project is short (39 months
from the start of construction); this would help alleviate the severe black outs and highly
costly self-generation.
The primary components of the T5HP Project are:
• Power Generation Component
Raised Intake
Powerhouse
Tailrace channel
Switchyard
• Power Evacuation Component
Transmission lines (500-kV) from Project switchyard to Islamabad West
Grid Station, whichlocated about 30 km northwest of Islamabad
Islamabad West Grid station (765 and 500 kV).
The power generation facilities at TDP (intake, powerhouse, tailrace and switchyard) will
be implemented by WAPDA whereas power evacuation facilities (transmission line and
grid station) will be implemented by NTDC.
Another important advantage in development of T5HP is that power generation part of
the project will be free of resettlement and litigation problems, which are often major
causes of delay in hydro-electric projects. Environmental and social issues are relatively
minor, since most of the infrastructure is already in place. Basic infrastructure and other
facilities like offices, labor camps and residential accommodation are largely available
and only have to be renovated and possibly expanded against modest cost. The
installation of additional generating capacity will not influence the irrigation release
capacity of the dam.
1.3 The Environmental and Social Assessment
Potential adverse effects of the T5HP project are described in the present Environmental
and Social Assessment (ESA) report. Possible mitigating measures to offset, reduce or
compensate these impacts are included in the Environmental and Social Management
Plan (ESMP). The power generation element of the project will be implemented on the
left bank of the Indus River in a limited area concentrated around the inlet and outlet of
tunnel 5 of the Tarbela Dam. The proposed transmission line for power evacuation will
be about 50 km long and will mostly follow alignment of existing transmission lines.
Environmental and